With the early days of rocket research, nobody had any experience in space travel. One of the prevailing concerns about the dangers of space travel before humans entered space was that they might not be able to endure extended periods of low gravity. And in order to learn how to launch and land live things safely and to gain a better understanding of how spaceflight would effect human bodies, engineers flew animals, mostly dogs, monkeys, and chimpanzees.
The first animals to reach space — not counting any bacteria that may have hitched a ride on previous rockets — were fruit flies. On Feb. 20, 1947, the United States put fruit flies aboard captured German V-2 rockets to study radiation exposure at high altitudes. In 3 minutes and 10 seconds of flight, the fruit flies reached an altitude of 68 miles.
Albert I, a rhesus monkey, was launched into space aboard a V-2 Blossom on June 11, 1948, from White Sands, New Mexico. Albert is a forgotten hero among animal astronauts due to his lack of publicity and documentation. A second V-2 flight carrying Albert II, a live monkey from the Air Force Aeromedical Laboratory, reached 83 miles of altitude on June 14, 1949. On impact, the monkey died. The final V-2 monkey flight was launched from White Sands on December 12, 1949. The payload was Albert IV, a rhesus monkey loaded with tracking devices.
The Soviet R-1 series rockets carried nine dogs in total between 1951 and 1952, with three dogs flying twice. A pair of canines were transported on each mission in hermetically sealed containers that were parachute recovered. Only a few of these early space hounds have been identified by name.
Sputnik 2 launched into Earth orbit on November 3rd, 1957, carrying a dog named Laika. Laika was actually Kudryavka, which is Russian for "Husky" or "Barker" ("Little Curly"). She ultimately earned the nickname "Muttnik" in the US. Laika was a tiny, stray mongrel who had been rescued from the street. She had hurried training before being loaded onto a metal transporter and placed beneath the second Sputnik sphere. Since there was no time to plan a reentry strategy, Laika passed away a short while afterwards. In April 1958, Sputnik 2 ultimately disintegrated in the upper atmosphere.
Belka and Strelka (images by Sputnik)
On 1959, Discoverer 3, a spy satellite from the United States' Corona program, was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base aboard a Thor Agena A rocket. Discoverer 3 carried four black mice. The initial launch attempt was canceled because the original crew of four black mice was discovered dead and the telemetry showed no indication of activity inside the capsule. The mice overdosed on the Krylon that had been sprayed on the mouse cages to conceal the sharp edges because they thought it tasted better than their food.
Bars (also known as "Panther" or "Lynx") and Lisichka (also known as "Little Fox") were sent into orbit aboard a Korabl Sputnik on July 28, 1960. Belka ("Squirrel") and Strelka ("Little Arrow"), as well as a gray rabbit, 40 mice, 2 rats, and 15 flasks of fruit flies and plants, were launched on Sputnik 5 or Korabl Sputnik 2 on August 19, 1960. Skylab 3, the last Apollo flights on 1973 were Anita and Arabella, two common Cross spiders. Tests were set up to record the spiders' successful attempts to spin webs in space.
The Space Shuttle has carried over twenty Spacelab experimental payloads in its payload bay between 1983 and the present. Human astronauts, as well as the animals and insects brought on these trips, have participated in experiments for life sciences on Spacelab missions.
Since then, animals have remained crucial in our understanding of the effects of microgravity on numerous biological processes. Wasps, beetles, tortoises, flies, worms, fish, spiders, rabbits, bees, shrimp, jellyfish, guinea pigs, butterflies, and cockroaches, among many other creatures, have all been studied by astronauts.
The Soviet and American space programs could have suffered significant human life losses if there had not been early animal testing. These animals gave their respective nations a service that no human could or would have done. In the cause of technical growth, they sacrificed their lives or their service, paving the path.
Resources
Bartels, E.D.C. from M. and published, E.H. (2022). Animals in Space. [online] Space.com. Available at: https://www.space.com/animals-in-space.
Ellie May Forrester and Smalley, C. (2018). 10 Animals That Have Been to Space. [online] Discover Wildlife. Available at: https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/animals-in-space/.
Messer, T. and SA 10.08.04 (2000). Animals in Space. [online] Nasa.gov. Available at: https://history.nasa.gov/animals.html.
www.nasa.gov. (n.d.). NASA - Spiders in Space -- Live! [online] Available at: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/space_spiders_live.html.
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