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Did you know that mice have been used for a long time to find out how space travel may affect the human body. Mice live in the International Space station and are great at adapting to microgravity conditions.

I wonder if my hamster 'Nibbles' could be good coping with space travel?

By Bethany Walford

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In 2007  tardigrades were the first animals to be sent into outer space. Tardigrades are also known as water bears. These 0.02 inch  (0.5 mm) eight legged  invertebrates are able to deal with almost anything on Earth, so it’s no surprise that they were sent to the space station as part of the cell science – 04 experiment on board the SpaceX Dragon 22nd resupply mission on June 3.  They were sent because of their incredible capability to withstand a lack of oxygen, radiation, freezing cold and dehydration. Nothing phases a tardigrade.

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Did you know that jellyfish actually went to space isn’t that interesting along with ants ,flies and dogs

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The first tortoise in space! I think he must have been confused 🐢 

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By Amelia

Animals in Space

As well as fruit flies and Laika - the dog - since the 1940’s a variety of animals have been sent into space including ants, cats frogs and even jellyfish. To date, a total of 32 monkeys have flown in space. These species include squirrel monkeys and pig-tailed monkeys!

First Animal to Orbit the Earth

Dogs, mice and monkeys have all been into space. The first animal to make an orbital space flight around the Earth was Laika the dog, aboard the Sputnik 2 on November 3rd 1957.

First Animal to Orbit the Moon

The first animal to orbit the moon and return to Earth were two Russian tortoises aboard Z and 5. On 15th September 1968, the tortoises were launched with plants, seeds and bacteria around the moon and returned to Earth seven days later.

Why do we send Animals into Space?

The first journeys into space involving animals were used to test survivability and the potential for sending humans into space. Later, animals were used to examine other scientific questions such as radiation and weightlessness.

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Fish in space

Also known as Japanese rice fish, medaka are small, freshwater fish native to Japan. And they are invaluable for space research. Because the fish react so quickly to their new living situation, the researchers are able to observe the effects of microgravity on their bodies almost in real time.

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The first animal in space was ... The Fruit Fly!
The flies where sent to space in the V2 Rocket on the 20th of Febuary 1947.
They were the perfect passengers in many ways due to their size and their weight. This meant the rocket was able to conserve fuel.

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This is Ham, the first ever chimpanzee in space in 1961

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A total of 32 monkeys have flown in space. These species include rhesus macaques, squirrel monkeys and pig-tailed monkeys. Chimpanzees (apes) have also flown.

The United States recorded a milestone in May 1959, finally recovering two primates alive after a spaceflight. A rhesus monkey named Able and a squirrel monkey named Baker reached an altitude of 300 miles (483 km) aboard a Jupiter rocket and returned safely.

Ham was the first Astrochimp sent on 31 January 1961 on a Project Mercury mission  Ham's capsule splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean and was recovered by the USS Donner later that day.  His only physical injury was a bruised nose. His flight was 16 minutes and 39 seconds long.

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Hello my name is George and lately we have been sending lots of animals into space including:Dogs,monkeys,spiders,turtles,newts,worms,bees,
apes,frogs,mice,cats,fish,rats and rabbits