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The first animals in space weren't dogs

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Cover of the Short “Who was the first animal in space?” Play

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Sef is sure the first animal in space was a dog. It wasn't even close. On 20 February 1947, a V-2 rocket launched from White Sands, New Mexico, carried fruit flies more than 100 km up, past the edge of space, and their capsule floated back down by parachute with the flies alive. And the first cat in space? Félicette, launched by France on 18 October 1963.

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Transcript

  1. Sef Who was the first animal in space? A dog, obviously!
  2. Tiggy Nope. Not a dog, and not a monkey.
  3. Tiggy In 1947, a V-2 rocket carried tiny passengers.
  4. Tiggy It flew over 100 kilometers up, into space.
  5. Tiggy Then they floated home by parachute, alive!
  6. Sef So who were they?
  7. Tiggy They were fruit flies!
  8. Sef Beaten by bugs?!
  9. Tiggy And the first cat in space? Felicette, from France, in 1963.

Sources

  1. NASA Ames: An Astronaut's Best Friend(s) (Interesting Fact of the Month, May 2023) nasa.gov
  2. APS News: Physics History, February 1947 (fruit flies in space) aps.org
  3. Royal Museums Greenwich: What was the first animal in space? rmg.co.uk
  4. White Sands Missile Range Museum: The V-2 Program, the Blossom Project wsmrmuseum.com
  5. NASA History: A Brief History of Animals in Space nasa.gov
  6. Guinness World Records: First cat in space guinnessworldrecords.com

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