Félicette
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Félicette () was a stray Parisian cat who is the only cat to have been successfully launched into space. She was launched on 18October 1963 as part of the
French space program The French space program includes both civil and military spaceflight activities. It is the third oldest national space program in the world, after the Soviet (now Russian) and American space programs, and the largest space program in Europe. B ...
. Félicette was one of 14 female cats trained for spaceflight. The cats had electrodes implanted onto their skulls so their neurological activity could be monitored throughout the flight. Electrical impulses were applied to the brain and a leg during the flight to stimulate responses. The capsule was recovered 13 minutes after the rocket was ignited. Most of the data from the mission were of good quality, and Félicette survived the flight but was purposely killed two months later for the examination of her brain. A second feline was killed in a launch mishap on 24 October 1963. Félicette had the designation of C 341 before the flight, and after the flight the media gave her the name Félix, after Félix the Cat. (CERMA) modified this to the feminine Félicette and adopted it as her official name. She has been commemorated on postage stamps around the world and a statue with her likeness is on display at the
International Space University The International Space University (ISU) is dedicated to the discovery, research, and development of outer space and its applications for peaceful purposes, through international and multidisciplinary education and research programs. ISU was f ...
. France's feline biological rocket
payload Payload is the object or the entity which is being carried by an aircraft or launch vehicle. Sometimes payload also refers to the carrying capacity of an aircraft or launch vehicle, usually measured in terms of weight. Depending on the nature of ...
s were preceded by rats and followed by monkeys.


Background

On 14 June 1949 a U.S. suborbital flight carried the first mammal into space, a Rhesus monkey named Albert II. On 3November 1957, the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...
launched
Laika Laika (russian: link=no, Лайка; – 3 November 1957) was a Soviet space dog who was one of the first animals in space and the first to orbit the Earth. A stray mongrel from the streets of Moscow, she flew aboard the Sputnik 2 space ...
, a stray dog found on the streets of Moscow, into space on
Sputnik 2 Sputnik 2 (, russian: Спутник-2, ''Satellite 2''), or Prosteyshiy Sputnik 2 (PS-2, russian: Простейший Спутник 2, italic=yes, ''Simplest Satellite 2'') was the second spacecraft launched into Earth orbit, on 3 November 195 ...
. She died in space, but was the first animal to orbit the Earth. Brazilian Army colonel Manuel dos Santos Lage planned to launch a cat named Flamengo aboard the Félix I rocket on 1 January 1959, but the flight was cancelled over ethical concerns regarding the use of a cat. On 31January 1961, as part of
Project Mercury Project Mercury was the first human spaceflight program of the United States, running from 1958 through 1963. An early highlight of the Space Race, its goal was to put a man into Earth orbit and return him safely, ideally before the Soviet Un ...
, the chimpanzee
Ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term "ham ...
became the first
hominid The Hominidae (), whose members are known as the great apes or hominids (), are a taxonomic family of primates that includes eight extant species in four genera: '' Pongo'' (the Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutan); ''Gorilla'' (the ...
launched into space for a suborbital flight. On 29November 1961, Enos became the second chimpanzee launched into space, and third
hominid The Hominidae (), whose members are known as the great apes or hominids (), are a taxonomic family of primates that includes eight extant species in four genera: '' Pongo'' (the Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutan); ''Gorilla'' (the ...
after
cosmonaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
s
Yuri Gagarin Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin; Gagarin's first name is sometimes transliterated as ''Yuriy'', ''Youri'', or ''Yury''. (9 March 1934 – 27 March 1968) was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who became the first human to journey into outer space. T ...
and
Gherman Titov Gherman Stepanovich Titov (russian: Герман Степанович Титов; 11 September 1935 – 20 September 2000) was a Soviet cosmonaut who, on 6 August 1961, became the second human to orbit the Earth, aboard Vostok 2, preceded by Y ...
, to achieve
Earth orbit Earth orbits the Sun at an average distance of 149.60 million km (92.96 million mi) in a counterclockwise direction as viewed from above the Northern Hemisphere. One complete orbit takes  days (1 sidereal year), during which time E ...
. The French rocket program began in 1961. Flights of the Véronique rocket had been reinstated in 1959 and were run by the Comité des Recherches Spatiales (CRS). France's base in the Sahara launched a rat named Hector on 22February 1961, causing France to become the third country to launch animals into space. Hector had
electrode An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit (e.g. a semiconductor, an electrolyte, a vacuum or air). Electrodes are essential parts of batteries that can consist of a variety of materials d ...
s implanted on his skull so neurological activity could be monitored. Two further rockets with rat payloads followed, on 15 and 18October. French scientists wanted to use larger mammals and chose cats, since they already had a significant amount of neurological data on them.


Mission


Selection and training

In 1963, (CERMA) purchased 14 cats from a pet dealer for the testing, with the individual animals selected based on their temperament; all of the cats were female, for their calmer demeanor. The cats were unnamed prior to the launch to reduce the likelihood that the scientists would become attached to them. All of the cats had permanent electrodes surgically implanted into their brain to assess neurological activity. Some of the cats' spaceflight training was similar to training for humans. This was carried out by CERMA and included using the high-G centrifuge three-axis chair with simulated rocket noise. Cat-specific training included confinement in their container and experience withstanding the restraint cloth. The animals trained for about two months; this limit was set by the risk of electrode polarization.


Flight

The launch crew began preparing at the launch site on 8October 1963. On 11October, the heading beacon was tested by placing it in a helicopter and tracking it with ground stations. On the 12th, the
telemetry Telemetry is the in situ collection of measurements or other data at remote points and their automatic transmission to receiving equipment (telecommunication) for monitoring. The word is derived from the Greek roots ''tele'', "remote", an ...
in the
nose cone A nose cone is the conically shaped forwardmost section of a rocket, guided missile or aircraft, designed to modulate oncoming airflow behaviors and minimize aerodynamic drag. Nose cones are also designed for submerged watercraft such as ...
was unsuccessfully tested, followed by a successful test the next day. There were issues testing the homing beacon on the 14th and 15th, but all of the electronics functioned to a satisfactory level on 16 October. On 17October, six feline finalists were selected as candidates for the flight, and a tuxedo cat with the designation C341 was chosen for the flight on launch day, along with a backup. Weighing in at , C341 was selected as the best of the six finalists due to her calm demeanor and appropriate weight. Electrodes were attached to her forward left and right rear leg to monitor cardiac activity. Nine electrodes had previously been implanted on her skull: two in the front sinus, one in the somatic area, two in the ventral hippocampal, two in the reticular area, and two in the association cortex. Two electrodes were glued to a foreleg so that electrical impulses could be used to stimulate them during the flight. Two
microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic or mike (), is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and publ ...
s, one on her chest and one on the nose cone of the rocket, monitored her breathing. The launch vehicle used was the Véronique AGI47 sounding rocket, made in Vernon, Haute-Normandie. The Véronique rocket came from the German World War II Aggregate rocket family, developed for International Geophysical Year (french: Année géophysique internationale) in 1957 for biological research. On 18October 1963 at 8:09am, C341 was launched into space from the Centre interarmées d'essais d'engins spéciaux site in
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. The mission was a sub-orbital flight and lasted 13 minutes. The rocket engine burned for 42seconds on ascent and C341 experienced 9.5  g of acceleration. The nose cone separated from the rocket before reaching a height of and the cat was subjected to five minutes of weightlessness. Prior to parachute deployment, spin and vibration on the nose cone caused 7 g of acceleration. The parachutes deployed 8 minutes and 55 seconds into the launch, applying 9 g. Thirteen minutes after the rocket was ignited, a helicopter arrived at the payload. C341 was recovered safely, and the mission made her the first cat to reach space.


Results and aftermath

High quality data was recorded throughout the flight, other than the reticular measurements and data recorded during reentry. Electrical shocks were administered to C341 at a higher rate than intended. She was vigilant during the ascent phase, due to being a payload in a rocket. During the microgravity phase, her heart rate slowed and her breathing became nominal. The turbulent reentry caused her heart rate to rise, but poor data made it difficult to analyze. The flight's biological data were given to the media, who named C341 "Félix" after the Félix the Cat cartoon series. CERMA changed it to the feminine Félicette and adopted the name as official. Félicette was killed two months after the launch so that scientists could perform a necropsy to examine her brain. A second cat was launched into space by the French on 24October. An explosive bolt that would release the rocket from the launch pad failed to function, causing the rocket to launch at an extreme angle. The radio
transponder In telecommunications, a transponder is a device that, upon receiving a signal, emits a different signal in response. The term is a blend of ''transmitter'' and ''responder''. In air navigation or radio frequency identification, a flight trans ...
stopped working on the launch pad, which created difficulties in finding the rocket. A helicopter spotted the parachute but was unable to land, so the agency dispatched ground vehicles. They were unable to get past some barbed wire. The next day a helicopter was again dispatched and was able to land at the site. The nose cone where the payload was housed was heavily damaged and the cat had died. Of the remaining 12 cats that were trained, the fate of 11 is known. One cat's health was deteriorating after the electrode surgery, so the scientists had them removed. The group adopted her as their mascot and gave her the name Scoubidou, as she had a
scoubidou Scoubidou (Craftlace, scoobies, lanyard, or gimp) is material used in knotting craft. It originated in France, where it became a fad in the late 1950s and has remained popular. It is named after the 1958 song of the same name by the French sing ...
braid around her neck, a popular style at the time. The other nine cats were euthanized at the end of the program. France continued its biological payload research, changing to monkeys. A monkey known as Martine was launched on 7March 1967 and Pierrette six days later. They were both successfully recovered. France concluded biological payload research at the national level with these flights, but later worked on biological payloads with the Soviet Union in the 1970s.


Legacy

According to an article in
Space.com Space.com is an online publication focused on space exploration, astronomy, skywatching and entertainment, with editorial teams based in the United States and United Kingdom. The website offers live coverage of space missions, astronomical discov ...
on 8November 2017, the participation of Félicette in the space race, "... was certainly not voluntary, but it was a huge milestone for France, which had just established the world's third civilian space agency (after the Soviet Union and the U.S.). Félicette's mission helped bring France into the space race." Félicette's flight was much less popular than other spaceflights at the time. Burgess and Dubbs believe this is due to photos of her with electrodes implanted on her skull and the new
animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their Utilitarianism, utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding s ...
movement. Former French colonies have created stamps to commemorate Félicette's flight. Comoros released a stamp in 1992 as one of a series of stamps featuring animals involved in spaceflight; the stamp used the name ''Félix''. In 1997, postage stamps commemorating Félicette and other animals in space were issued in Chad, again using the name ''Félix''. A 1999 stamp in
Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languages The UPS student astronomy club at Université ToulouseIII will name its future astronomical observatory in honor of Félicette. It will be the first French observatory entirely managed by students and was due to open in 2021. The 500 mm Dall-Kirkham telescope (3500 mm focal length) will be housed in a motorized dome 3.90m in diameter.


Memorial statue

While some non-human animals which traveled in space were celebrated as heroes—the chimpanzee
Ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term "ham ...
was buried at the International Space Hall of Fame in
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, U.S., and the Soviet dog
Laika Laika (russian: link=no, Лайка; – 3 November 1957) was a Soviet space dog who was one of the first animals in space and the first to orbit the Earth. A stray mongrel from the streets of Moscow, she flew aboard the Sputnik 2 space ...
has a bronze monument at the
Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center The Yuri A. Gagarin State Scientific Research-and-Testing Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC; Russian: Центр подготовки космонавтов имени Ю. А. Гагарина) is a Russian training facility responsible for trai ...
, near Star City in Russia—more than 50 years after her mission there was no monument for Félicette. Then, in 2017 a crowdfunding campaign was started by Matthew Serge Guy to erect a bronze statue of Félicette to commemorate her contribution to science. The statue was designed by sculptor Gill Parker. The preliminary design depicted a cat on top of the Earth, and a plaque featuring the names of major donors was to be included. In April 2018, the project met its £40,000 funding target. In April 2019, Guy announced that the statue was to be located in Eastern France at the
International Space University The International Space University (ISU) is dedicated to the discovery, research, and development of outer space and its applications for peaceful purposes, through international and multidisciplinary education and research programs. ISU was f ...
. The statue was unveiled on December 18, 2019, as a part of the 25th anniversary celebration of the University's Master of Space Studies program. It is tall and depicts Félicette "perched atop Earth, gazing up toward the skies she once traveled". Guy wrote in a Kickstarter update, "It's crazy to think a video I put online... has resulted in this. The internet's an alright place sometimes."


See also

* Bioastronautics * List of individual cats * List of microorganisms tested in outer space *
Monkeys and apes in space Before humans went into space in the 1960s, several other animals were launched into space, including numerous other primates, so that scientists could investigate the biological effects of spaceflight. The United States launched flights contain ...
*
Soviet space dogs During the 1950s and 1960s the Soviet space program used dogs for sub-orbital and orbital space flights to determine whether human spaceflight was feasible. In this period, the Soviet Union launched missions with passenger slots for at ...
*
Zond 5 Zond 5 (russian: Зонд 5, lit=Probe 5) was a spacecraft of the Soviet Zond program. In September 1968 it became the first spaceship to travel to and circle the Moon, the first Moon mission to include animals, and the first to return safely to ...
, the first animals to circle the Moon (tortoises and insects) *
Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum, and Phooey Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum, and Phooey were five mice who traveled to the Moon and circled it 75 times on the 1972 Apollo 17 mission. NASA gave them identification numbers A3305, A3326, A3352, A3356, and A3400, and their nicknames were given by the Apollo 1 ...
, mice who orbited the Moon on Apollo 17 and were killed for research purposes upon their return


References


Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Felicette 1963 in spaceflight Animals in space Individual animals in France Individual cats Space program of France