ANIMALS IN SPACE
By Fátima Sadornil

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By Fátima Sadornil

ANIMALS IN SPACE

Animals have been used in space science research since the beginning of the space age.Both the United States and Russian space programs used animals to collect medical information and test the concepts used to put humans in space.

Why are animals sent into space?

In 1948 a rhesus monkey named Albert was launched on a sub-orbital flight aboard a V2.

Early Days of Animal Spaceflight

Three more V2 flights took place in 1949 involving monkeys named Albert II, Albert III, and Albert IV.Unfortunately, none of these animals survived due to mechanical failures.

V2 Rocket

In the 1950s the US developed a new, more reliable rocket called the Aerobee.The first launch of the Aerobee rocket carried a monkey named Albert V.Unfortunately, this rocket also crashed after the failure of its parachute system.

Aerobee Rocket Launch

Finally, in September 1951 an Aerobee rocket carrying a rhesus monkey named Albert VI along with 11 mice survived a flight into space.Sadly Albert VI died two hours after landing.

Aerobee Rocket & Albert VI

In May 1952 two Philippine macaque monkeys named Patricia and Michael were launched on the third Aerobee launch.The flight was a resounding success and both were recovered in good health - a big step forward for American space flight.

Patricia & Michael

While the US was using monkeys in their testing the Soviets had decided to use dogs.In July 1951 the Soviet Union launched two dogs Tsygan and Dezik into space on a R-1 rocketBoth dogs survived the flight.

Soviet Space Dog

LAIKA

"Are you ready to do amazing things?"

On November 1957, the Soviets launched Sputnik 2 carrying a dog named Laika.She became the first animal to orbit the Earth.

Laika died just a few hours after launch due to stress and overheating.Although she did not survive her flight proved that a living organism could be launched into orbit and survive microgravity.

LAIKA

Laika in her capsule prior to launch

In December 1958 the US launched a squirrel monkey named Gordo aboard a Jupiter rocket.The parachute system failed and unfortunately, Gordo was lost.

Able and Baker were launched on a Jupiter rocket on May 28, 1959.The flight went flawlessly with the monkeys experiencing 9 minutes of weightlessness before returning safely.

After Gordo two monkeys were selected for the next biological flight, Able and Baker.

Able died 4 days after the mission during surgery to remove an infected electrode.Baker lived until the ripe old age of 27, dying in 1984. She even celebrated her 21st birthday with 1000 guests being presented with a jelly cake made with strawberries and bananas.

Russia continued sending dogs into space.Belka and Strelka spent a day in orbit aboard Sputnik 5 on August 19, 1960, and were successfully returned to Earth.They became the first Earth-born creatures to orbit the Earth and return alive.

Many animals were sent to space years after

After the Moon landing in July 1969, the role of animals in space was downgraded to biological research payloads.Their role became helping us understand the long-term health effects associated with the space environment

Buzz Aldrin on the Moon

When the space shuttle was first launched in 1981 it provided the perfect platform for scientists and researchers to undertake experiments on animals in space.

The use of animals on the Space Shuttle has greatly advanced the understanding of gravity on physiology, improved the ability of astronauts to live and work in space and tested new medical therapies for use back on Earth.

An astronaut examines a newt aboard the Space Shuttle

Throughout the 1990s research continued on a wide variety of animals to study the effect of microgravity on biology including crickets, mice, rats, frogs, newts, fruit flies, snails, fish, insect eggs, quail eggs and more.

Thank you

Throughout the early days of spaceflight, animals played a vital role in testing the initial spacecraft and technology needed to put humans into space.They deserve to be remembered as the real pioneers of space flight.Even today animals play a vital role in furthering our understanding of the space environment.

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