10 Animals That Went To Space (PDF)
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This document describes the history of animals used in early space missions. It details the contributions of several creatures to our understanding of space travel and the effects of space on living organisms, like fruit flies, mice, and various other animals. The information also explains how these missions aimed to learn about the animal and human reactions to space travel.
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10 Animals That Went to Space: Amazing Creatures That Helped Humans Explore Animals were the first travelers in space. They took big steps to help humans learn about space, but some of them did not survive. Let's learn about the animals that went to space! 1. Fruit Flies The first animal in space...
10 Animals That Went to Space: Amazing Creatures That Helped Humans Explore Animals were the first travelers in space. They took big steps to help humans learn about space, but some of them did not survive. Let's learn about the animals that went to space! 1. Fruit Flies The first animal in space was a group of fruit flies on February 20, 1947. Scientists sent them on a V-2 rocket to learn what cosmic radiation, the powerful energy from the sun and stars that can harm living things, does to human bodies. The rocket flew 109 kilometers high, and the flies came back alive and healthy. This showed that living creatures could survive short trips to space. 2. Monkeys and Apes Monkeys and apes traveled to space to help scientists understand if animal and human bodies react the same to space travel. The first monkey, Albert II, flew on June 14, 1949. He flew 134 kilometers above Earth. He died when landing. The first chimpanzee, Ham, flew on January 31, 1961. Scientists tested if he could follow instructions in space. He completed his tasks and came back safely. This showed that astronauts could perform activities in space. 3. Mice Mice went to space to help scientists learn about what space does to small animals. The first mouse went into space on August 31, 1950. It did not survive because there was a problem with the rocket. Later missions, for example studies on the International Space Station, showed that mice have no problem with weightlessness and can live and grow in space over time. 4. Dogs Laika, a dog from Moscow, became the first animal to orbit, so to go around, Earth on November 3, 1957, in a rocket called Sputnik 2. Scientists wanted to know if living creatures, such as animals or humans, could survive a long trip in space. Laika died a few hours after start, but her mission told scientists a lot about what it’s like in space. 5. Tortoises On September 14, 1968, the Soviet Union sent two tortoises on the Zond 5 mission to go around the moon. They wanted to know what space travel does to the body. Especially they wanted to know of the tortoises lose weight, so become lighter, in space. The tortoises came back safely after six days, but they lost some weight on the journey. 6. Frogs Frogs went to space in 1959 to find out what space travel does to their bodies, especially their balance system. In 1970, NASA sent two bullfrogs into space on the Orbiting Frog Otolith mission to learn about their inner ear and what it does in weightlessness. After six days, scientists found that frogs were doing fine. 7. Spiders In 1973, two spiders, Anita and Arabella, flew to space to test if they can spin webs in zero gravity. They spun webs successfully, but the webs were thinner and less structured than on Earth. This experiment showed how animals deal with gravity. 8. Fish In 1973, a small fish called a mummichog traveled to space because scientists wanted to find out how fish swim in zero gravity. Scientists wanted to see how fish find their way in weightlessness. In 2012, a medaka fish went to the International Space Station. Researchers wanted to see if space does something to how and how fast fish bones grow. 9. Tardigrades Tardigrades, also known as water bears, are tiny animals just about 1mm big. The went to space in 2007 on the FOTON-M3 mission. Scientists tested if they can live in the extreme conditions in space, such as radiation, so energy from the sun and stars, and vacuum, where there is no air to breathe. After 10 days, they came back alive. 10. Nematodes (Worms) In 2003, nematodes traveled on the Columbia space shuttle mission. Scientists tested what space does to muscles and the DNA. When the space shuttle had an accident on the way back down, some worms survived in a container and scientists could go on with their tests. These animals are true heroes of space travel! They helped scientists learn important lessons so humans could safely explore space!
