Félicette

Félicette was a cat from Paris. She was the first cat in space. Before her, France launched rats into space. France launched monkeys after. She was launched into space on October 18, 1963. 13 other female cats were trained for spaceflight. Félicette was found safe in the rocket 13 minutes after takeoff. Félicette was not hurt by the flight. Later, she was euthanized so her brain could be studied.

Before the flight, Félicette was called C 341. After the flight, the media named her Félix, after Felix the Cat. Felix was a masculine name. Thus, it was changed to Félicette. Stamps were created in places all over the world to honor her. A statue in her memory is at the International Space University.  

 Background 
The United States launched a Rhesus monkey named Albert II into space on June 14th, 1949. Albert II was the first mammal in space. The Soviet Union launched a dog named Laika into space on November 3rd, 1957. Laika died, but was the first animal to be in orbit.  A Brazilian cat named Flamengo was going to be launched on the Félix I rocket. People were concerned about the use of a cat, so the flight was cancelled.

 References 

Category:Cats
Category:Spaceflight