In memory of the first cat in space

A New Vision of Grassroots Influence Compilation: Yi Zhong

Source life science

Generally speaking, every kind of animal that has traveled in space can be commemorated by people, and they represent the honors that various countries have won in the space race. For example, Lycra the dog and Ham the chimpanzee have a place in people's hearts. In fact, in addition to them, there is also a cat Mimi who is also the protagonist of the space race, but it has been forgotten by people-Félicette, a cat sent into space by France.

18 June 18, CNES sent Félicette into space, and it became the only cat that traveled in space. Félicette arrived 209 kilometers above the earth on the French Vé ronique AG/KLOC-0 rocket propelled by liquid fuel, and the fragrance was over the Sahara desert in Algeria. 15 minutes later, it returned to earth safely, but by this time, she had become a well-known cat hero in France. In this way, the kitten in a tuxedo found on the streets of Paris became a star overnight. Unfortunately, not long after, Félicette's star life was taken away by dogs, monkeys and chimpanzees who were also sent into space in the 1960s, and she became a forgotten star.

Recently, some people have called for this cat to be picked up from the long river of history, to arouse memories and to bring her back to people's vision. Now, the cat's hometown of Paris has launched a fund-raising campaign for bronze statue casting called Kickstarter, and a memorial statue of a space star has been built for her through fund-raising. Every donor has the opportunity to get postcards, seals, enamel badges, handbags and photos of Félicette. For the most generous donors, you can engrave your name on the nameplate of the statue and get a scaled-down replica of the monument.

Looking back at other animals that have been in space, the first chimpanzee in space was buried in the International Space Hall of Fame, the first dog in space had a bronze statue, and the first cat in space left nothing behind. A commentator who asked not to be named said in the Kickstarter activity video.

Félicette is one of the 14 animals selected by the French space program for space flight training. Although she didn't take the initiative to choose space travel, her space trip was a huge milestone for France. At that time, France had just established the world's third civil space agency (second only to the United States and the Soviet Union), and Felicity's mission was to help France enter the space race among major powers, marking France's absolute superiority in space technology.

At that time, scientists all over the world wanted to know how animals would be affected if there was no gravity. Assuming that animals sent into space can survive, then theoretically, humans can also survive in space. In fact, sending animals into space actually requires strict physical training in the early stage, just like sending people into space. This training includes riding a centrifuge, and researchers will also implant electrodes in animals' brains to monitor their neural activity. In the end, Felicity was selected to carry out the task with its excellent comprehensive quality. Although it is reported that Félicette got the chance to go into space because another cat selected earlier "escaped from the cold", there is no denying that she is an excellent cat.

According to the brief description in Kickstarter's activity video, people's memory of Félicette is inaccurate, and people generally think that she is a male cat, because a series of commemorative stamps have shaped her image into a male character. This is probably due to the social atmosphere at that time: only men can make achievements in the field of scientific engineering. The person in charge of the activity said that today, nearly 60 years later, we should be grateful for the contribution made by animals to the human space exploration journey, and correct the name of each animal in the space journey and leave a valuable mark.

Although due to the progress of science and technology, it is difficult to detect the impact of space environment on human beings by means of "animals going into space" at this stage, it does not rule out that some animals will be sent into space, and the research direction of scientists will turn to the impact of space flight on domestic animals. It can be speculated that the next time we see cats in space, it is likely that humans will settle in space. The meaning behind a cat is far beyond our imagination.