Animals in space facts for kids

For many years, animals were the first brave explorers to journey into space. Scientists sent them up to learn if living things could survive the harsh conditions of space travel. This research helped prepare for human astronauts. The study of life in space is called Bioastronautics. So far, seven countries have sent animals into space: the United States, the Soviet Union (now Russia), France, Argentina, China, Japan, and Iran.

Many different animals have traveled beyond Earth. These include monkeys, dogs, cats, mice, rats, rabbits, fish, frogs, spiders, and even quail eggs that hatched in space! The United States sent the first living creatures, fruit flies, into space in 1947. Later, in 1949, they sent primates. The Soviet space program also sent many dogs into space, starting in 1951.

In 1968, two tortoises and some plants were the first living things to travel around the Moon on the Zond 5 mission. Years later, in 1972, five mice named Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum, and Phooey orbited the Moon an amazing 75 times during the Apollo 17 mission.

Miss Baker, a squirrel monkey, rode a Jupiter IRBM (scale model of rocket shown) into space in 1959.

Why Send Animals to Space?

Long before humans went to space, animals helped scientists understand if space travel was safe. In 1783, the Montgolfier brothers sent a sheep, a duck, and a rooster in a hot air balloon. They wanted to see if creatures from Earth could survive high altitudes. Later, in the 19th century, Claude Ruggieri even launched animals using rockets.

After World War II, scientists used captured German V-2 rockets for early space tests. The U.S. also used large high-altitude balloons. These carried animals like fruit flies, mice, and monkeys very high up. These flights helped study how radiation in space affected living things. They also tested how animals' bodies reacted and how to bring them back safely.

Timeline of Animal Space Journeys

The First Space Travelers (1940s)

The very first animals to reach space were fruit flies. On February 20, 1947, the U.S. launched them on a V-2 rocket. Scientists wanted to see how radiation in space would affect them. The rocket went up 109 kilometers (68 miles). The fruit flies were recovered safely and were alive.

V2 launch No. 47 carried the first mammal, a rhesus monkey named Albert II, into space on June 14, 1949.

In 1949, a rhesus monkey named Albert II became the first monkey and mammal in space. He flew on a U.S. V-2 rocket on June 14. Albert II reached about 134 kilometers (83 miles) high. Sadly, his parachute failed, and he did not survive the landing. Many monkeys were part of these early missions. They helped scientists learn a lot about how space affects living bodies.

Brave Dogs and Monkeys (1950s)

In 1950, the U.S. sent a mouse into space, but its parachute failed. The Soviet Union then launched the first dogs, Tsygan and Dezik, into space in 1951. They were the first higher organisms to survive a spaceflight and return to Earth.

A very famous space dog was Laika. On November 3, 1957, she became the first animal to orbit Earth aboard the Soviet Sputnik 2 spacecraft. Sadly, Laika did not survive the mission. At that time, technology to bring spacecraft back from orbit safely did not exist. Many other dogs flew on sub-orbital and orbital flights before humans went to space.

In 1958, a squirrel monkey named Gordo flew on a U.S. Jupiter rocket. He survived the launch and weightlessness. However, his parachute failed, and his capsule was lost in the ocean.

The first monkeys to survive spaceflight were Miss Able and Miss Baker in 1959. Able, a rhesus monkey, and Baker, a squirrel monkey, flew on a Jupiter rocket. They experienced strong forces and weightlessness. Both monkeys landed safely. Able passed away a few days later during surgery. Baker lived a long life, becoming a media star. She lived until 1984 at the U.S Space and Rocket Center. Also in 1959, the Soviet Union sent the first rabbit, Marfusha, into space.

Chimpanzees and Cats Take Flight (1960s)

During the 29 November 1961, NASA Mercury-Atlas 5 flight, Enos became the only chimpanzee, and third primate, to orbit the Earth.

On August 19, 1960, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 5. It carried the dogs Belka and Strelka, a rabbit, mice, rats, and fruit flies. This was the first time animals went into orbit and returned alive. One of Strelka's puppies, Pushinka, was given as a gift to President Kennedy's daughter, Caroline.

In 1961, Ham, a chimpanzee, became the first great ape in space. He flew on a sub-orbital flight for the U.S. Mercury program. Ham was trained to pull levers for banana pellets. His flight showed that astronauts could perform tasks in space. Later that year, another chimpanzee, Enos, became the first and only chimpanzee to orbit Earth.

France also joined the space race, sending their first rat, Hector, into space in 1961. In 1963, France launched Félicette, the first cat in space. She was recovered alive after a 15-minute flight. Félicette had electrodes in her brain to record her neural impulses.

In 1966, two Soviet dogs, Veterok and Ugolyok, spent 22 days in orbit on Cosmos 110. This was the longest spaceflight by dogs ever. In 1968, the Soviet Union sent the first animals into deep space and around the Moon. These were two Horsfield's tortoises on the Zond 5 mission. They survived the journey but lost some weight.

Spiders, Fish, and Tortoises (1970s)

First spider web built in space (during Skylab 3, 1973)

In 1970, two bullfrogs were launched on a mission to study space motion sickness. In 1972, the Apollo 17 mission carried five pocket mice around the Moon.

Skylab 3 in 1973 carried pocket mice, the first fish in space (a mummichog), and the first spiders in space. These were two garden spiders named Arabella and Anita. They built webs in microgravity.

The Soviet Union continued its Bion program missions, carrying tortoises, rats, and mummichog. On Soyuz 20 in 1975, tortoises set a record by spending 90.5 days in space.

Newts and Chicken Eggs (1980s)

The Soviet Union sent eight monkeys into space on Bion flights during the 1980s. These missions also included zebra danio fish, fruit flies, rats, stick insect eggs, and the first newts in space.

In 1985, the U.S. sent two squirrel monkeys and 24 rats aboard Spacelab 3 on the Space Shuttle. On the Bion 7 mission, newts had parts of their front limbs removed. Scientists studied how quickly they could regrow these limbs in space. This research helped understand how humans might recover from injuries in space.

In 1989, chicken embryos (fertilized eggs) were sent into space on STS-29. This experiment was part of a student contest.

Quails and Frogs (1990s)

Astronaut Donald Thomas examines a newt on the Space Shuttle Columbia during a 1994 mission

The first animal born in space was a quail, which hatched on the Mir space station in 1990. More monkeys, frogs, and fruit flies flew on the last Soviet Bion flights. China also launched guinea pigs in 1990.

In 1990, a Japanese journalist, Toyohiro Akiyama, carried Japanese tree frogs with him to the Mir space station. In 1994, four Japanese rice fish successfully mated and laid eggs on STS-65. These eggs hatched, making them the first animals to reproduce and have offspring in space.

Japan launched its first animals, a species of newt, into space in 1995. Throughout the 1990s, the U.S. Space Shuttle missions carried many different animals. These included crickets, mice, rats, frogs, newts, fruit flies, snails, carp, and jellyfish.

Tiny Survivors and Cockroaches (2000s)

The last flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003 carried silkworms, garden orb spiders, carpenter bees, harvester ants, and Japanese killifish. After the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, tiny nematodes (C. elegans) from one experiment were found alive in the debris.

C. elegans are still part of experiments on the International Space Station. In 2006, Bigelow Aerospace launched Genesis I, carrying Madagascar hissing cockroaches and Mexican jumping beans. In 2007, Genesis II carried more cockroaches, South African flat rock scorpions, and seed-harvester ants.

In September 2007, during the European Space Agency's FOTON-M3 mission, tardigrades (also known as water-bears) survived 10 days exposed to open space. On the same mission, cockroaches conceived during the flight and produced offspring after returning to Earth.

In November 2009, STS-129 took painted lady and monarch butterfly larvae into space for a school experiment. It also carried thousands of C. elegans roundworms for studies on weight loss.

Geckos, Mice, and Squids (2010s and 2020s)

In May 2011, the final flight of Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-134) carried two golden orb spiders, Gladys and Esmeralda. They also had a fruit fly colony as food. This mission studied how microgravity affects spider behavior. Tardigrades and other extremophiles also went into orbit.

In October 2012, 32 medaka fish were delivered to the International Space Station (ISS). They lived in a new Aquatic Habitat in the Kibo module. In 2013, Iran reported sending a monkey into space and retrieving it safely. They also launched a mouse, two turtles, and some worms, which returned alive.

In January 2014, scientists studied the search strategies of pavement ants on the ISS. In July 2014, Russia launched geckos to study how microgravity affects reptile reproductive habits. Sadly, all five geckos did not survive the mission.

In September 2014, the SpaceX CRS-4 mission delivered 20 mice to the ISS. This was the first use of the Rodent Research Hardware System. These mice helped study the long-term effects of microgravity on rodents. More mice were sent on SpaceX CRS-6 in 2015 and SpaceX CRS-8 in 2016. These studies helped understand muscle and bone loss in space.

In June 2018, 20 mice traveled to the ISS on a SpaceX Dragon spaceship. This was the longest time mice had been off the planet. Their journey was part of a study on how Earth animals respond to the stress of space.

The Chinese lunar lander Chang'e 4 carried a special container in 2019. It had seeds and insect eggs to see if plants and insects could grow together on the Moon. The experiment included cottonseed, potato, rapeseed, a flowering plant, yeast, and fruit fly eggs.

On April 11, 2019, the Israeli spacecraft Beresheet crashed into the Moon. Its payload included thousands of tardigrades. It is unclear if they survived the impact, but tardigrades are known for their incredible toughness.

On June 3, 2021, SpaceX CRS-22 launched more tardigrades and Hawaiian bobtail squid to the ISS. The squid were hatchlings. Scientists studied if they could develop their special light-producing bacteria in space.

See also

In Spanish: Animales en el espacio para niños