In 1958, a mouse nicknamed Minnie Mouse was sent to space by the United States Air Force under the first Mouse-in-Able (MIA-1) mission aboard a two-stage Thor-Able rocket but the animal didn't survive the flightIn 1958, a mouse nicknamed Minnie Mouse was sent to space by the United States Air Force under the first Mouse-in-Able (MIA-1) mission aboa...
08 Sep, 2026, 01.00 AM IST
In 1951, two female stray dogs named Dezik and Tsygan became the first mammals to successfully cross the border of space and return aliveIn 1951, two female stray dogs named Dezik and Tsygan became the first mammals to successfully cross the border of space and return alive. ...
06 Sep, 2026, 01.35 AM IST
In 1950, a live and unanaesthetized mouse was sent to the upper atmosphere in a V-2 rocket to test biological responses and capture physiological data and imagery during the flightIn 1950, a live and unanaesthetized mouse was sent to the upper atmosphere in a V-2 rocket to test biological responses and capture physiol...
05 Sep, 2026, 02.20 AM IST
In 1970, NASA launched two bullfrogs into orbit to study vestibular function; over six days, the animals provided hours of data on balance in weightlessnessIn 1970, an extraordinary experiment sent two frogs, Pierre and Tee-Nom, into orbit around Earth. Researchers closely examined their inner ...
04 Sep, 2026, 08.22 PM IST
In 1948, a male rhesus monkey named Albert was launched on a V-2 rocket by the US towards space but the mission failed and the animal did not survive the flightIn 1948, a male rhesus monkey named Albert was launched on a V-2 rocket by the US towards space in an early animal flight test. Albert I re...
04 Sep, 2026, 05.07 PM IST
In 1947, the military sent fruit flies 67 miles into space to test radiation risks. 11 years later, NASA was founded in 1958, with animal flights underway in America now1947 mission was part of a larger American effort to understand whether living organisms could survive the journey into space. Beginning in...
03 Sep, 2026, 08.59 PM IST
In 1983, NASA flew six rats in Challenger’s crew cabin for a 6-day test; the cage kept them healthy, but engineers called for a 20% more water safety marginIn 1983, six brave rats embarked on an experimental journey aboard the Challenger shuttle. Their specially designed enclosure ensured prote...
03 Sep, 2026, 02.00 PM IST
In 1998, NASA flew crickets on Neurolab to study how spaceflight affects developing nervous systems; across the 16-day mission, they joined about 2,000 animals in spaceDuring the Neurolab mission, the space shuttle Columbia hosted 2,000 animals, crickets being one of them, to examine spaceflight's impacts ...
02 Sep, 2026, 01.50 PM IST
In 2005, NASA flew five thick-toed geckos aboard Foton-M2 for 16 days without food or water; all were recovered with no apparent negative health effectsFive geckos orbited Earth for sixteen days without food or water. Researchers studied how weightlessness affects these cold-blooded animals...
31 Aug, 2026, 07.54 PM IST
In 2003, researchers found freshwater snails had mated in space; their gravity-sensing statoconia were 50% larger by volume than matched ground controlsExperiments conducted aboard the Space Shuttle demonstrated that pond snails bred in microgravity possessed larger gravity-sensing structur...
31 Aug, 2026, 07.20 PM IST
In 1960, NASA launched rhesus monkey Miss Sam to test Mercury's escape system, and she reached 1,800 mph and 9 miles, then returned in overall good conditionMiss Sam, a rhesus monkey, played a pivotal role in NASA's launch escape system testing, demonstrating the system's ability to safely eject...
31 Aug, 2026, 06.30 PM IST
A 1.5-pound squirrel monkey named Goliath was launched into space in 1961; 35 seconds later, his Atlas E rocket was destroyedIn an unfortunate chapter of space exploration, a squirrel monkey named Goliath found himself amidst America's fierce space race. His ill-f...
30 Aug, 2026, 06.53 PM IST
In 2013, Bion-M1 carried land snails in orbit for 30 days; hardware failures killed many other animals, but the snails survivedIn a space mission conducted by Russia in 2013, a tragic outcome ensued as most of the aboard animals, including mice, gerbils, and fish, c...
30 Aug, 2026, 04.00 PM IST
In 1969, NASA launched Bonnie the monkey for a planned 30 days in orbit; his condition deteriorated after about 8 days, and the mission was ended earlyIn 1969, a brave monkey named Bonnie embarked on a solo space voyage aboard Biosatellite III. Unfortunately, his mission was cut short due ...
29 Aug, 2026, 08.26 PM IST
In 1951, Soviet space dog Bobik escaped before launch; scientists found a stray near the canteen, named her ZIB, and sent her 100 km up before a safe returnA stray dog known as ZIB unexpectedly filled in for a canine that went missing just before a Soviet rocket launch. With no training at all,...
29 Aug, 2026, 07.00 PM IST
In 1952, Patricia and Mike rode an Aerobee 36 miles up at 2,000 mph; both monkeys returned safely after scientists compared seated and prone acceleration effectsIn 1952, two Philippine monkeys named Patricia and Mike embarked on a historic journey aboard a rocket. Scientists sought to understand how...
29 Aug, 2026, 06.50 PM IST
On STS-51B, NASA flew 24 rats and 2 squirrel monkeys with Spacelab-3; one monkey showed space sickness while the rats returned with muscle lossIn 1985, Challenger carried rats and monkeys to study microgravity's effects. One monkey experienced space sickness, mirroring human astron...
28 Aug, 2026, 01.20 PM IST