Félicette and Félix, French Astrocats

French feline Félicette became the first of only two cats to have been sent into space, while Félix had undergone training to be sent. Félix, a Paris street cat, was chosen to be the first cat in space but he escaped and he was replaced by  Félicette at the last minute.

She did not go into orbit, but in a flight lasting altogether less than 15 minutes travelled some 100 miles into space, where the capsule separated from the rocket and descended by parachute. Throughout the flight electrodes implanted in her brain transmitted neurological impulses back to Earth, and the French Centre d'Enseignement et de Recherches de Médecine Aéronautique (CERMA), which directed these flights, stated afterwards that the cat had made a valuable contribution to research. The capsule and Félicette were safely recovered, but what happened to her after her adventure I do not know.

Félicette is the black-and-white cat shown above. The inscription on the photo, together with her pawprint, reads in French 'Merci pour votre participation à mon succès du 18 octobre 1963.'  


Link - Via Frogsmoke