# Talk:Félicette

I read somewhere Felix was a male cat (also black and white) from Algeria that was suppose to fly to space on the same day as Félicette but escaped - but some news articles are mentioning this was just a rumor? Does anyone know? Jooojay (talk) 20:14, 3 November 2017 (UTC)

@Jooojay: Seems to have been an unsubstantiated rumor. One that even spawned a myth and mentions on stamps! See the reference in External Links.I do not believe this is a good enough source to add text to this article, however, or I would have done so. RobP (talk) 15:31, 21 April 2018 (UTC)

Where? French Guinea? 2001:56A:F414:D300:B4DE:8476:FAA7:33D1 (talk) 07:05, 14 November 2017 (UTC)

Making a list here that I intend to include in the article.

Gizmodo
images including a cat being weighed (maybe good for external links)
cannot use it for a source but might help find other sources
Serial # AGI44, which means if Sat Net is a RS than the altitude was 135 KM. Sat-net and Gunter have different serial numbers listed for the launch, will investigate further...
Burgess' book matches the serial number from Sat Net
Tara Gray matches as well (AGI47)
history of French animal launches during Space Age
could lead to more sources
Documentary on it, and (probably the same) video from INA site
Apparently they shocked the cat's brain...also first time I see it referred to as Felix
suggests that space travel changed Felix from a male to female cat? - would be neat if this was the genesis of the Felix/Félicette confusion. Google Translate is not helping much, trying to find a French speaker to help translate.
Says cat is largest animal Veronique can launch and they will switch after also says max possible altitude was 220 km

I will update if I find more. Kees08 (Talk) 07:32, 18 January 2019 (UTC)

The article says that in the launch of the second cat the rocket exploded in the ascent. Wouldn't this mean that neither the rocket or the cat made it to space (most rockets that explode seem to explode near the ground rather than what is considered 'space')? Maybe Félicette is the only cat to go to space, and not one of two. Randy Kryn (talk) 03:32, 13 March 2019 (UTC)

The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion:

Felicette-équipe.jpg
Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 04:51, 13 March 2019 (UTC)

Can we just transfer the images to Wikipedia? They are allowable for educational purposes, and if Commons can't carry them then Wikipedia should be able to. Removing these images will remove all trace of the real Félicette from the encyclopedia, and that should be intolerable from an educational purposes exception which is allowed by the copyright holder. Randy Kryn (talk) 11:18, 13 March 2019 (UTC)

As mentioned above, there is a seeming contradiction in two articles about the second cat launched by France in 1963. The Félicette article states: "A second feline was launched into space on 24 October. Unlike Félicette, that cat died when the carrying rocket exploded on ascent" [10] (couldn't get the source link to load on my computer). The Animals in space article reads: "A second cat was sent to space by CERMA on 24 October 1963, but the flight ran into difficulties that prevented recovery" with a reference which doesn't define the difficulties. If the rocket did explode on ascent, then the cat likely never reached space, and if so, Félicette is the only cat to have gone into space and not the first of two. If it didn't explode on ascent then this would need to be corrected on this page. A good feline mystery, the cat in the sat(ellite). Anybody have a definitive solution? Thanks. Randy Kryn (talk) 17:16, 19 March 2019 (UTC)

I think based on the journal paper that I have, the rocket definitely did not blow up. It is very specific in the failure mechanism, the flight path, and the recovery efforts. Corrected it to the best of my ability with the sources that I have. Kees08 (Talk) 01:06, 10 June 2019 (UTC)
Thanks Kees08, just saw your reply. Yes, those two contradictory endings resulted in giving inaccurate encyclopedic information at one of them. Thanks for the additional research. Randy Kryn (talk) 12:23, 16 July 2019 (UTC)

Has anyone come across any more news of very recent progress on the Félicette statue? The sculptor may want to consider a companion statue for Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum, and Phooey, the five mice who traveled on Apollo 17, and thus five of the last eight Earthlings near the Moon. One died during the mission, and the four others were purposely killed per their scientific mission, although it would have made much more sense to give them a good and visitor-popular home in the National Zoo until they passed either naturally or per zoo cat. Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum, Phooey, Félicette, and the Zond 5 tortoises are among the until-recently unsung involuntary historic space travelers, and all deserve artistic memorials on Earth. Randy Kryn (talk) 12:40, 16 July 2019 (UTC)

The kickstarter is updated regularly with progress, and the project initiator has been responsive to my emails if you would like to contact him. Kees08 (Talk) 15:49, 16 July 2019 (UTC)
Kees08, thanks, and thanks for all of the work you've done on the Apollo 11 pages, among your many other early space program pages. Sent you an email. Happy 50th anniversary week! Randy Kryn (talk) 16:38, 16 July 2019 (UTC)

So, when did Felicette die?  And where?
I think that's important information that needs to be in the article?
Other thoughts?  2600:8800:784:8F00:C23F:D5FF:FEC4:D51D (talk) 01:59, 21 July 2019 (UTC)

Right now the article says Félicette was euthanized two months after the launch so that scientists could perform an autopsy to examine her brain. The source says After two months of tests, she had an autopsy to perform an histological analysis of the electrodes areas. As far as I have been able to find, that is the best source that we have. Kees08 (Talk) 06:18, 21 July 2019 (UTC)

Of the remaining 12 cats that were trained, the fate of 11 is known. One cat's health was deteriorating after the electrode surgery, so the scientists had them removed. The group adopted her as their mascot and gave her the name Scoubidou, as she had a scoubidou braid around her neck, a popular style at the time.[31] The other nine cats were euthanized at the end of the program.
This doesn't add up. 11-1 is 10 not 9.

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