View source for Animals in space

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{{Use American English|date=June 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}}
[[Image:Miss Baker, the squirrel monkey.jpg|right|thumb|300px|[[Miss Baker]], a [[squirrel monkey]], rode a [[PGM-19 Jupiter|Jupiter IRBM]] (scale model of rocket shown) into space in 1959.]]
{{Sidebar
| title = Landmarks for animals in space
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* 1947: [[Fruit flies in space|First animals in space (fruit flies)]]
* 1949: [[Albert II (monkey)|First primate and first mammal in space]]
* 1950: First mouse in space
* 1951: [[Soviet space dogs|First dogs in space]]
* 1957: [[Laika|First animal in orbit]]
* 1959: First rabbit in space
* 1960: [[Belka and Strelka|First animals to survive Earth orbit]]
* 1961: [[Ham (chimpanzee)|First ape in space]]
* 1961: [[Korabl-Sputnik 4|First guinea pig in space]]
* 1963: [[Félicette|First cat in space]]
* 1968: [[Zond 5|First animals in deep space and to circle the Moon]]
* 1970: [[Orbiting Frog Otolith|First adult frogs in space]]
* 1973: [[Skylab 3|First fish in space]]
* 1973: [[Skylab 3|First spiders in space]]
* 2007: First animal survives exposure to space
}}
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}}

'''Animals in space''' originally served to test the [[survivability]] of [[spaceflight]], before [[human spaceflight]]s were attempted. Later, many species were flown to investigate various biological processes and the effects [[microgravity]] and space flight might have on them. [[Bioastronautics]] is an area of [[bioengineering]] research that spans the study and support of life in [[Outer space|space]]. To date, seven national space programs have flown non-human animals into space: the United States, Soviet Union, France, Argentina, China, Japan and Iran.

A wide variety of non-human animals have been launched into space, including [[monkeys in space|monkeys and apes]], [[Dogs in space|dogs]], [[Félicette|cats]], tortoises, mice, rats, rabbits, fish, frogs, spiders, insects, and quail eggs (which hatched on ''[[Mir]]'' in 1990). The US launched the first Earthlings into space, with [[Fruit flies in space|fruit flies surviving a 1947 flight]], followed by primates in 1949. The [[Soviet space program]] launched [[Soviet space dogs|multiple dogs into space]], with the first [[sub-orbital]] flights in 1951, and first [[Orbital spaceflight|orbital flights]] in 1957.<ref name="AT-20171103">{{cite news |last=Berger |first=Eric |title=The first creature in space was a dog. She died miserably 60 years ago |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/11/sixty-years-ago-the-first-creature-went-into-space-a-stray-moscow-dog/ |date=3 November 2017 |work=[[Ars Technica]] |access-date=3 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201182453/https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/11/sixty-years-ago-the-first-creature-went-into-space-a-stray-moscow-dog/ |archive-date=1 December 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Two tortoises and several varieties of plants were the first Earthlings to circle the [[Moon]] in September 1968 on the [[Zond 5]] mission. In 1972, five mice nicknamed [[Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum, and Phooey]] orbited the Moon a record 75 times aboard [[Apollo command and service module|command module ''America'']] as part of the [[Apollo 17]] mission (the most recent to put Earthlings into lunar orbit).

==Background==
Animals had been used in aeronautic exploration since 1783 when the [[Montgolfier brothers]] sent a sheep, a duck, and a rooster aloft in a [[hot air balloon]] to see if ground-dwelling animals can survive (the duck serving as the [[experimental control]]). The limited supply of captured German [[V-2]] rockets led to the U.S. use of high-altitude balloon launches carrying fruit flies, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, cats, dogs, frogs, goldfish and monkeys to heights of up to {{convert|44000|m|ft mi|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Beischer1962>{{cite journal |author1=Beischer, DE |author2=Fregly, AR |title=Animals and man in space. A chronology and annotated bibliography through the year 1960. |journal=US Naval School of Aviation Medicine |volume=ONR TR ACR-64 |issue=AD0272581 |year=1962 |url=http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/9288 |access-date=14 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150811085105/http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/xmlui/handle/123456789/9288 |archive-date=11 August 2015 |url-status=usurped }}</ref> These [[high-altitude balloon]] flights from 1947 to 1960 tested [[radiation exposure]], physiological response, life support and recovery systems. The U.S. high-altitude manned balloon flights occurred in the same time frame, one of which also carried fruit flies.

== Timeline ==
[[File:Albert II V2 launch.jpg|right|thumb|V2 launch No. 47 carried the first mammal, a [[Rhesus macaque|rhesus monkey]] named [[Albert II (monkey)|Albert II]], into space on June 14, 1949.|alt=Rocket taking off behind barn]]

=== 1940s ===
The [[Fruit flies in space|first animals sent into space]] were [[Drosophila melanogaster|fruit flies]] aboard a U.S.-launched [[V-2 rocket]] on 20 February 1947 from [[White Sands Missile Range]], [[New Mexico]].<ref name=Beischer1962 /><ref>[http://www.postwarv2.com/usa/ws/uars/uars20.html UPPER AIR ROCKET SUMMARY V-2 NO. 20] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715110530/http://www.postwarv2.com/usa/ws/uars/uars20.html |date=15 July 2011 }}. postwarv2.com</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://history.nasa.gov/afspbio/part1.htm |title=The Beginnings of Research in Space Biology at the Air Force Missile Development Center, 1946–1952 |access-date=31 January 2008 |work=History of Research in Space Biology and Biodynamics |publisher=[[NASA]]| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080125044753/https://history.nasa.gov/afspbio/part1.htm| archive-date= 25 January 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wsmr.army.mil/pao/FactSheets/V2/v-2tab.htm |title=V-2 Firing Tables |access-date=31 January 2008 |publisher=[[White Sands Missile Range]] |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080125175018/http://www.wsmr.army.mil/pao/FactSheets/V2/v-2tab.htm |archive-date = 25 January 2008}}</ref> The purpose of the experiment was to explore the effects of radiation exposure at high altitudes. The rocket reached {{convert|109|km|mi|abbr=on}} in 3 minutes 10 seconds, past both the U.S. Air Force {{convert|50|mi|km|abbr=on|order=flip}} and the [[Karman line|
international 100&nbsp;km]] definitions of the boundary of space. The Blossom capsule was ejected and successfully deployed its parachute. The fruit flies were recovered alive. Other V-2 missions carried biological samples, including [[moss]].

[[Albert II (monkey)|Albert II]], a [[rhesus monkey]], became the [[monkeys in space|first monkey]], first primate, and first mammal in space on 14 June 1949, in a U.S.-launched V-2, after the failure of the original Albert's mission on ascent. [[Albert I (monkey)|Albert I]] reached only {{convert|48-63|km|mi|abbr=on}} altitude; Albert II reached about {{convert|134|km|mi|abbr=on}}, and died on impact after a parachute failure.

Numerous monkeys of several species were flown by the U.S. in the 1950s and 1960s. Monkeys were implanted with sensors to measure vital signs, and many were under [[anesthesia]] during launch. The death rate among these monkeys was very high: about two-thirds of all monkeys launched in the 1940s and 1950s died on missions or soon after landing.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gray |first1=Tara |title=A Brief History of Animals in Space |url=https://history.nasa.gov/animals.html |website=National Aeronautics and Space Administration |date=18 January 1998 |publisher=NASA |access-date=9 December 2019 |archive-date=11 October 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041011053912/https://history.nasa.gov/animals.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== 1950s ===
[[File:Animals In Rocket Flight.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=2:39|left|''Animals In Rocket Flight'', a 1953 US Air Force film featuring two mice and two monkeys in a 37-mile high subspace flight]]
On 31 August 1950, the U.S. launched a [[mouse]] into space (137&nbsp;km) aboard a V-2 (the Albert V flight, which, unlike the Albert I-IV flights, did not have a monkey), however, the animal died following descent because the parachute system failed.<ref>[http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-animals-astronauts-in-space.php "Top 10 Animal Astronauts"] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120912222937/http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-animals-astronauts-in-space.php |date=12 September 2012 }}. ''Toptenz.net''.</ref> The U.S. launched several other mice in the 1950s.

On 22 July 1951, the Soviet Union launched the [[R-1 (missile)|R-1]] IIIA-1 flight, carrying the [[dog]]s [[Dezik and Tsygan|Tsygan]] ({{langx|ru|Цыган}}, "Gypsy" or "Țigan/Țagaur" in romani language) and [[Dezik and Tsygan|Dezik]] ({{langx|ru|Дезик}}) into space, but not into orbit.<ref name="Siddiqi, p.95">{{cite book|title=Challenge to Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945–1974|author=Asif. A. Siddiqi|year=2000|publisher=NASA|url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4408pt1.pdf|page=95|access-date=12 July 2017|archive-date=16 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916023444/https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4408pt1.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> These two dogs were the first living higher organisms successfully recovered from a spaceflight.<ref name="Siddiqi, p.95"/> Both [[Soviet space dogs|space dogs]] survived the flight, although Dezik would die on a subsequent flight. The U.S. launched mice aboard spacecraft later that year; however, they failed to reach the altitude for true spaceflight.

On 3 November 1957, the second-ever orbiting spacecraft carried the first animal into orbit, the dog [[Laika]],<ref name="AT-20171103" /> launched aboard the Soviet [[Sputnik 2]] spacecraft (nicknamed 'Muttnik' in the West). Laika died during the flight, as was expected because the technology to return spacecraft from orbit had not yet been developed.<ref name="AT-20171103" /> At least 10 other dogs were launched into orbit and [[Soviet space dogs|numerous others]] on sub-orbital flights before the historic date of 12 April 1961, when [[Yuri Gagarin]] became the first human in space.

On 13 December 1958, a [[Jupiter IRBM]], AM-13, was launched from [[Cape Canaveral]], Florida, with a [[United States Navy]]-trained South American [[squirrel monkey]] named [[Gordo (space monkey)|Gordo]] on board. The nose cone recovery parachute failed to operate and Gordo was lost. [[Telemetry]] data sent back during the flight showed that the monkey survived the 10&nbsp;[[g-force|g]] of launch, 8 minutes of weightlessness and 40&nbsp;''g'' of reentry at {{convert|16,000|km/h|m/s mph|abbr=on}}. The nose cone sank {{convert|1302|nmi|km}} downrange from Cape Canaveral and was not recovered.

[[Monkey]]s [[Miss Able]] and [[Miss Baker]] became the first monkeys to survive spaceflight after their 1959 flight. On 28 May 1959, aboard [[Jupiter IRBM]] AM-18, were a {{convert|3|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}} American-born [[rhesus monkey]], Able, from Independence, Kansas, and a {{convert|310|g|oz|0|abbr=on}} [[squirrel monkey]] from Peru, Baker. The monkeys rode in the nose cone of the missile to an altitude of {{convert|579|km|mi|abbr=on}} and a distance of {{convert|2735|km|mi|abbr=on}} down the Atlantic Missile Range from Cape Canaveral, Florida. They withstood forces 38 times the normal pull of gravity and were weightless for about 9 minutes. A top speed of {{convert|16,000|km/h|m/s mph|abbr=on}} was reached during their 16-minute flight. The monkeys survived the flight in good condition. Able died four days after the flight from a reaction to anesthesia, while undergoing surgery to remove an infected medical electrode. Baker was the center of media attention for the next several months as she was watched closely for any ill-effects from her space flight. She was even mated in an attempt to test her reproductive system.<ref>"Space Monkey to be a Bride." ''New York Times'':6. 14 August 1959. ''ProQuest''Web. 22 November 2015.</ref> Baker lived until 29 November 1984, at the [[U.S Space and Rocket Center|U.S. Space and Rocket Center]] in [[Huntsville, Alabama]].

On 2 July 1959, a launch of a Soviet R2 rocket, which reached {{convert|212|km|mi}}, carried two space dogs and Marfusha, the first rabbit to go into space.<ref name=Beischer1962 />

A 19 September 1959 launch, a Jupiter AM-23, carried two frogs and 12 mice but was destroyed during launch.<ref name=Beischer1962 />

On 4 December 1959, a rhesus macaque Sam flew on the [[Little Joe 2]] mission of [[Project Mercury]] to an altitude of {{convert|53|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Beischer1962/>

=== 1960s ===
[[File:Mercury-Atlas 5 Enos with handler (cropped).jpg|thumb|During the 29 November 1961, NASA [[Mercury-Atlas 5]] flight, [[Enos (chimpanzee)|Enos]] became the only chimpanzee, and third primate, to orbit the Earth.]]
[[File:Ham - physical examination by doctor - NASA 1961.webm|thumb|[[Ham (chimpanzee)|Ham]], the first great ape in space, being given a physical examination in 1961]]
On 19 August 1960 the Soviet Union launched [[Sputnik 5]] (also known as Korabl-Sputnik 2) which carried the dogs [[Belka and Strelka]], along with a gray rabbit, 40 mice, 2 rats, and 15 flasks of fruit flies and plants.<ref>[https://history.nasa.gov/animals.html A brief History of Animals in Space] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041011053912/https://history.nasa.gov/animals.html |date=11 October 2004 }}. ''NASA''</ref> It was the first spacecraft to carry animals into orbit and return them alive.<ref>[http://www.spacetoday.org/Astronauts/Animals/Dogs.html Dogs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017033511/http://www.spacetoday.org/Astronauts/Animals/Dogs.html |date=17 October 2015 }}, Space Online Today, 2004</ref> One of Strelka's pups, Pushinka, bred and born after her mission, was given as a present to [[Caroline Kennedy]] by [[Nikita Khrushchev]] in 1961, and many descendants are known to exist.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/belka-strelka-first-dogs-survive-space-moscow-space-museum-2015-8|title=I traveled to Russia and met the first dogs to ever survive space in this rare museum|publisher=Business Insider|author=Dave Mosher|date=20 Aug 2015|accessdate=30 January 2021|archive-date=5 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191205033922/https://www.businessinsider.com/belka-strelka-first-dogs-survive-space-moscow-space-museum-2015-8|url-status=live}}</ref>

The US sent three black mice: Sally, Amy and Moe 1,000&nbsp;km up and 8,000&nbsp;km distance from Cape Canaveral on 13 October 1960 using an Atlas D 71D launch vehicle.  The mice were retrieved from the nosecone near Ascension Island and were said to be in good condition.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=1960 Chronology|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Astronautica|url=http://www.astronautix.com/chrono/1960.htm|access-date=7 December 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926165622/http://www.astronautix.com/chrono/1960.htm|archive-date=26 September 2013}}</ref>

On 31 January 1961, [[Ham (chimpanzee)|Ham]], a chimpanzee, was launched into sub-orbital space in a [[Mercury program|Mercury]] capsule aboard a [[Mercury-Redstone Launch Vehicle|Redstone rocket]] to become the first [[great ape]] in space. Ham's mission was [[Mercury-Redstone 2]]. The chimpanzee had been trained to pull levers to receive rewards of banana pellets and avoid electric shocks.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4201/ch10-3.htm |title=MR-2: Ham Paves the Way |access-date=31 January 2008 |last=Swenson Jr.|first=Loyd S. |author2=James M. Grimwood |author3=Charles C. Alexander |year=1989 |work=This New Ocean: A History of Project Mercury |publisher=[[NASA]]| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080130141204/http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/SP-4201/ch10-3.htm| archive-date= 30 January 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> His flight demonstrated the ability to perform tasks during spaceflight. A little over three months later the United States sent [[Alan Shepard]] into space on a suborbital flight.

[[Enos (chimpanzee)|Enos]] became the first and only chimpanzee to reach Earth orbit when, on 29 November 1961, he flew two orbits in a Mercury capsule on the [[Mercury-Atlas 5]] mission.  Two months later [[Project Mercury]] pilot [[John Glenn]] orbited the Earth.

On 9 March 1961 the Soviet Union launched the [[Korabl-Sputnik 4]] that carried a dog named [[Soviet space dogs#Chernushka|Chernushka]], some mice, and, for the first time into space, a [[guinea pig]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://history.nasa.gov/animals.html |title=Animals in Space |access-date=31 January 2008 |first=Tara |last=Gray |year=1998 |publisher=[[NASA]] History Division| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080128134352/https://history.nasa.gov/animals.html| archive-date= 28 January 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref> All were successfully recovered.

France flew their first [[rat]] (Hector) into space on 22 February 1961. Two more rats were flown in October 1962.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.astronautix.com/country/france.htm|title=France|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323115358/http://www.astronautix.com/country/france.htm |archive-date=23 March 2010|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Astronautica|url-status=dead|date=1997–2008}}</ref>

On 18 October 1963, France launched [[Félicette]] the cat aboard Veronique AGI sounding rocket No. 47. The launch was directed by the French Centre d'Enseignement et de Recherches de Médecine Aéronautique (CERMA). Félicette was recovered alive after a 15-minute flight and a descent by parachute. Félicette had electrodes implanted into her brain, and the recorded neural impulses were transmitted back to Earth. After two months of analysis, she was euthanized so an autopsy could be performed.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Baheux|first=Romain|title=Et si Félicette, le premier chat dans l'espace, avait bientôt sa statue?|date=19 October 2017|url=https://www.leparisien.fr/societe/et-si-felicette-le-premier-chat-dans-l-espace-avait-bientot-sa-statue-18-10-2017-7340256.php|url-status=live|access-date=4 March 2021|archive-date=30 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130213227/https://www.leparisien.fr/societe/et-si-felicette-le-premier-chat-dans-l-espace-avait-bientot-sa-statue-18-10-2017-7340256.php}}</ref> On 18 December 2019 a bronze statue with the effigy of Félicette was inaugurated at the "Université internationale de l'espace" in [[Strasbourg]], France. A second cat was sent to space by CERMA on 24 October 1963, but the flight ran into difficulties that prevented recovery.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://history.nasa.gov/animals.html |title=A Brief History of Animals in Space |access-date=29 November 2013 |last=Grey |first=Tara |year=2008 |publisher=[[NASA]] |archive-date=11 October 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041011053912/https://history.nasa.gov/animals.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1967, France launched two pig-tailed macaque monkeys into suborbital space.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wall |first=Mike |date=2013-01-28 |title=Monkeys in Space: A Brief Spaceflight History |url=https://www.space.com/19505-space-monkeys-chimps-history.html |access-date=2024-04-17 |website=Space.com |language=en}}</ref>

China launched mice and rats in 1964 and 1965, and two dogs in 1966.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2134494/chinas-secret-1960s-mission-send-two-dogs-space|title=China's secret 1960s mission to send two dogs into space|publisher=South China Morning Post|date=25 Feb 2018|accessdate=15 August 2021}}</ref>

During the [[Voskhod program]], two Soviet space dogs, Veterok (Ветерок, Little Wind) and Ugolyok (Уголёк, Blackie), were launched on 22 February 1966, on board [[Cosmos 110]] and spent 22 days in orbit before landing on 16 March. This spaceflight of record-breaking duration was not surpassed by humans until [[Soyuz 11]] in 1971 and still stands as the longest space flight by dogs.{{citation needed|date=November 2013}}

The US launched Biosatellite I in 1966 and Biosatellite I/II in 1967 with fruit flies, [[parasitic wasp]]s, [[flour beetle]]s and frog eggs, along with [[bacterium|bacteria]], [[amoebae]], plants and [[fungi]].<ref>Dubbs, Chris and [[Colin Burgess (author)|Burgess, Colin]] (2007) ''Animals In Space: From Research Rockets to the Space Shuttle''. Springer. {{ISBN|0387360530}}.</ref>

On 11 April 1967, Argentina also launched the rat Belisario, atop a Yarará rocket,<ref name="Leon">{{cite book|author=de León, Pablo|title=Historia de la Actividad Espacial en la Argentina|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X174Scm1qVkC|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=978-0-557-01782-9|year=2010|access-date=20 June 2015|archive-date=18 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151018155757/https://books.google.com/books?id=X174Scm1qVkC|url-status=live}}{{self-published source|date=May 2020}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=February 2020}} from Cordoba military range, which was recovered successfully. This flight was followed by a series of subsequent flights using rats.<ref>Manfredi, Alberto N. [https://web.archive.org/web/20140606193806/http://reconquistaydefensa.org.ar/_historia/espacio/conquista.htm ARGENTINA Y LA  CONQUISTA DEL ESPACIO]. reconquistaydefensa.org.ar</ref> It is unclear if any Argentinean biological flights passed the 100&nbsp;km limit of space.

The first animals in deep space, the first to circle the Moon, and the first two [[tortoise]]s in space were launched on [[Zond 5]] on 14 September 1968 by the Soviet Union. The [[Horsfield's tortoise]]s were sent on a [[circumlunar trajectory|circumlunar voyage]] to the Moon along with [[wine fly|wine flies]], [[meal worm]]s, and other biological specimens. These were the first inhabitants of Earth to travel around the Moon. The capsule overshot its terrestrial landing site but was successfully recovered at sea on 21 September. The animals survived but underwent weight loss. More turtles followed on the circumlunar [[Zond 6]] mission of November 1968 (ahead of the December U.S. crewed [[Apollo 8]] mission) and four turtles flew on the circumlunar [[Zond 7]] mission which flew around the Moon on August 11, 1969, three weeks after [[Apollo 11]]'s Moon walk.<ref>[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11942356/ From the pubmed site]</ref>

On 28 June 1969, the US launched the monkey Bonny, a macaque, on [[Biosatellite 3]] in what was intended to have been a 30-day orbit around the Earth, with the monkey being fed by food pellets from a dispenser that he had been trained to operate.  Bonny's health deteriorated rapidly and he was returned to Earth on 7 July,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/Mission/miss/56 |title="Biosatellite III", NASA Life Sciences Data Archive |access-date=6 September 2018 |archive-date=26 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326185840/https://lsda.jsc.nasa.gov/Mission/miss/56 |url-status=live }}</ref> but died the next day after the Biosatellite capsule was recovered in the Pacific Ocean.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=djft3U1LymYC&dat=19690708&printsec=frontpage "Astromonk Dies After Return"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316210511/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=djft3U1LymYC&dat=19690708&printsec=frontpage |date=16 March 2021 }}, ''Pittsburgh Press'', 8 July 1969, p1</ref>

In total in the 1950s and 1960s, the Soviet Union launched missions with at least 57 passenger slots for dogs. The actual number of dogs in space is smaller, because some dogs flew more than once.

On 23 December 1969, as part of the 'Operación Navidad' (Operation Christmas), Argentina launched Juan (a [[Tufted capuchin|cai monkey]], native of Argentina's Misiones Province) using a [[Canopus 2|Canopus II]] rocket.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unc.edu.ar/seccion/dossier/2009/diciembre/unc_dossier_de_prensa_19-12-2009.pdf|title=Córdoba|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402160331/http://www.unc.edu.ar/seccion/dossier/2009/diciembre/unc_dossier_de_prensa_19-12-2009.pdf |archive-date=2 April 2015|publisher=unc.edu.ar|date=19 December 2009}}</ref> It ascended 82 kilometers<ref>[http://www.hoylauniversidad.unc.edu.ar/especiales/mono-juan "Juan, el primer astronauta argentino"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510103717/http://www.hoylauniversidad.unc.edu.ar/especiales/mono-juan |date=10 May 2013 }}. ''unc.edu.ar''.</ref> and then was recovered successfully. Later, on 1 February 1970 the experience was repeated with a female monkey of the same species using a X-1 Panther rocket. It reached a higher altitude than its predecessor, but it was lost after the capsule's parachute failed.

=== 1970s ===
[[Image:Arabella web aboard second Skylab mission (cropped).jpg|right|thumb|First [[Spider webs in space|spider web built in space]] (during [[Skylab 3]], 1973)]]
Two [[American bullfrog|bullfrog]]s were launched on a one-way mission on the [[Orbiting Frog Otolith satellite]] on 9 November 1970, to understand more about space motion sickness.

[[Apollo 16]], launched on 16 April 1972, carried [[nematode]]s. [[Apollo 17]], launched on 7 December 1972, carried five [[Little pocket mouse|pocket mice]], [[Fe, Fi, Fo, Fum, and Phooey]], who stayed in the command module with astronaut [[Ronald Evans (astronaut)|Ronald Evans]] as it circled the Moon for six days. One of the mice died on the trip.<ref name=bioCoreSP368>{{cite book |last1=Haymaker |first1=Webb |last2=Look |first2=Bonne C. |last3=Benton |first3=Eugene V. |last4=Simmonds |first4=Richard C. |date=1 January 1975 |chapter=The Apollo 17 Pocket Mouse Experiment (Biocore) |chapter-url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-368/s4ch4.htm |editor1-last=Johnston |editor1-first=Richard S. |editor2-last=Berry |editor2-first=Charles A. |editor3-last=Dietlein |editor3-first=Lawrence F. |title=SP-368 Biomedical Results of Apollo (SP-368) |volume=NASA-SP-368 |url=https://history.nasa.gov/SP-368/sp368.htm |publisher=Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center |publication-date=1 January 1975 |oclc=1906749 |access-date=11 January 2019 |archive-date=25 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225223708/https://history.nasa.gov/SP-368/sp368.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Skylab 3]] (1973) carried pocket mice and the first [[fish]] in space (a [[mummichog]]), and the first [[spider]]s in space ([[garden spider]]s named [[Spider webs in space|Arabella and Anita]]). Mummichog were also flown by the U.S. on the [[Apollo–Soyuz]] joint mission, launched 15 July 1975.

The Soviets flew several [[Bion program]] missions which consisted of satellites with biological cargoes. On these launches they flew tortoises, rats, and mummichog. On [[Soyuz 20]], launched 17 November 1975, tortoises set the duration record for an animal in space when they spent 90.5 days in space. [[Salyut 5]] on 22 June 1976, carried tortoises and a fish (a [[zebra danio]]).

=== 1980s ===
{{Unreferenced section|date=November 2020}}
The Soviet Union sent eight monkeys into space in the 1980s on Bion flights. Bion flights also flew zebra danio, fruit flies, rats, stick insect eggs and the first [[Iberian ribbed newt|newts]] in space.

In 1985, the U.S. sent two [[squirrel monkeys]] aboard [[STS-51B|Spacelab 3]] on the [[Space Shuttle]] with 24 male albino [[Rattus norvegicus|rats]] and [[stick insect]] eggs.

[[Bion 7]] (1985) had 10 newts (''[[Pleurodeles waltl]]'') on board. The newts had part of their front limbs amputated, to study the rate of [[Regeneration (biology)|regeneration]] in space, knowledge to understand human recovery from space injuries.

After an experiment was lost in the [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' disaster]], [[chicken]] embryos (fertilized eggs) were sent into space in an experiment on [[STS-29]] in 1989. The experiment was designed for a student contest.

=== 1990s ===
[[Image:Space newt.jpg|thumb|right|Astronaut [[Donald A. Thomas|Donald Thomas]] examines a [[newt]] on the [[Space Shuttle]] [[Space Shuttle Columbia|''Columbia'']] during a [[STS-65|1994 mission]]]]
Four monkeys flew aboard the last Bion flights of the Soviet Union as well as frogs and fruit flies. The [[Foton program]] flights carried dormant [[brine shrimp]] (''[[Artemia franciscana]]''), newts, fruit flies, and sand desert beetles (''[[Trigonoscelis gigas]]'').<ref>Hernandorena, A.; Marco, R.; Reitz, G. and Facius, R. (1997) [http://eea.spaceflight.esa.int/?pg=exprec&id=6952&t=2642451838&oss=foton%2010 SHRIMP-2; Effects of cosmic radiation and space vacuum on the viability and development of the primitive crustacean Artemia franciscana (part 2)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526001256/http://eea.spaceflight.esa.int/?pg=exprec&id=6952&t=2642451838&oss=foton%2010 |date=26 May 2012 }}. esa. int</ref><ref>Rietveld, W. and Alpatov, A.M. (1997) [http://eea.spaceflight.esa.int/?pg=exprec&id=6958&t=2642450590 Biological clocks of beetles: reactions of free-running circadian rhythms to spaceflight conditions (BEETLE 2)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526001405/http://eea.spaceflight.esa.int/?pg=exprec&id=6958&t=2642450590 |date=26 May 2012 }}. esa.int</ref>

China launched [[guinea pigs]] in 1990.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/10/03/china.space.timeline/|title=Timeline: China's space quest|access-date=31 January 2008|date=6 January 2004|publisher=[[CNN]]|archive-date=28 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528033000/http://edition.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/10/03/china.space.timeline/|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Toyohiro Akiyama]], a Japanese journalist, carried [[Japanese tree frog]]s with him during his trip to the ''[[Mir]]'' space station in December 1990. Other biological experiments aboard Mir involved [[quail]] eggs.

In 1994, four Japanese rice fish successfully mated and laid eggs that hatched to produce healthy fry aboard STS-65, making them the first animals to conceive and bear offspring in space.<ref name="Ijiri 108–109">{{Cite journal |last=Ijiri |first=Kenichi |date=1997-07-01 |editor-last=Snyder |editor-first=Robert S. |title=Mating Behavior of the Fish (Medaka) and Development of their Eggs in Space, Second International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2) Final Report |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19970035095 |journal=NASA Reference Publications |language= |pages=108–109 |via=NASA NTRS}}</ref>

Japan launched its first animals, a species of newt, into space on 18 March 1995 aboard the [[Space Flyer Unit]].

During the 1990s the U.S. carried [[Cricket (insect)|crickets]], mice, rats, frogs, newts, fruit flies, [[snail]]s, [[carp]], [[medaka]] (rice fish), [[oyster toadfish]], [[sea urchin]]s, [[swordtail fish]], [[spongy moth]] eggs, stick insect eggs, [[brine shrimp]] (''[[Artemia salina]]''), quail eggs, and [[jellyfish]] aboard [[Space Shuttle]]s.

=== 2000s ===
The [[STS-107|last flight of ''Columbia'' in 2003]] carried [[silkworm]]s, [[Eriophora|garden orb spiders]], [[carpenter bee]]s, [[harvester ant]]s, and [[Japanese killifish]] (medaka). [[Nematode]]s (''[[Caenorhabditis elegans|C. elegans]]'') from one experiment were found still alive in the debris after the [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disaster]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Irene |last=Brown |title=Shuttle worms found alive |url=http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Science/2003/04/30/shuttle_worms_found_alive/2166/ |publisher=[[United Press International]] |date=30 April 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110524214850/http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2003/04/30/Shuttle-worms-found-alive/UPI-21661051746091/ |archive-date=24 May 2011 |access-date=31 January 2008 }}</ref>

''[[Caenorhabditis elegans|C. elegans]]'' are also part of experiments aboard the [[International Space Station]] as well as research using [[quail]] eggs.

Earlier Space Shuttle missions included grade school, junior high and high school projects; some of these included [[ant]]s, [[stick insect]] eggs and [[brine shrimp]] cysts. Other science missions included [[spongy moth]] eggs.

On 12 July 2006, [[Bigelow Aerospace]] launched their ''[[Genesis I]]'' inflatable space module, containing many small items such as toys and simple experiments chosen by company employees that would be observed via camera. These items included insects, perhaps making it the first private flight to launch animals into space. Included were [[Madagascar hissing cockroach]]es and [[Mexican jumping beans]] — seeds containing live larvae of the moth ''[[Cydia saltitans]]''.<ref name="LVRJ1">{{cite news|url=http://www.lvrj.com/news/8246747.html |title=NLV firm launches Genesis II |work=Las Vegas Review-Journal |first=John |last=Antczak |date=27 June 2007 |access-date=30 June 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207130414/http://www.lvrj.com/news/8246747.html |archive-date=7 February 2012 }}</ref> On 28 June 2007, Bigelow launched ''[[Genesis II (space habitat)|Genesis II]]'', a near-twin to ''Genesis I''.  This spacecraft also carried Madagascar hissing cockroaches and added South African flat rock scorpions (''[[Hadogenes troglodytes]]'') and [[Red harvester ant|seed-harvester ants]] (''Pogonomyrmex californicus'').<ref name="BAlifebox">{{cite news |url=http://www.bigelowaerospace.com/life_death/life_in_a_box.php |title=Life in a Box |work=BigelowAerospace.com |first=Maijinn |last=Chen |access-date=10 August 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070513040221/http://www.bigelowaerospace.com/life_death/life_in_a_box.php |archive-date = 13 May 2007}}</ref>

In September 2007, during the [[ESA|European Space Agency]]'s [[FOTON-M3]] mission, [[tardigrade]]s, also known as water-bears, were able to survive 10 days of exposure to open-space with only their natural protection.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14690-water-bears-are-first-animal-to-survive-vacuum-of-space.html |title='Water Bears' are first animal to survive vacuum of space|work=newscientist.com|access-date=10 September 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080910062613/http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn14690-water-bears-are-first-animal-to-survive-vacuum-of-space.html| archive-date= 10 September 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908135906.htm |title='Water Bears' Able To Survive Exposure To Vacuum of Space|work=sciencedaily.com|access-date=10 September 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080911091656/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080908135906.htm| archive-date= 11 September 2008 | url-status= live}}</ref>

On the same mission, a number of cockroaches were carried inside a sealed container and at least one of the females, named Nadezhda, conceived during the mission and produced 33 offspring after returning to Earth.<ref name="Ijiri 108–109"/>

On 15 March 2009, during the countdown of the [[STS-119]], a [[free-tailed bat]] was seen clinging to the fuel tank. [[NASA]] observers believed the bat would fly off once the Shuttle started to launch, but it did not. Upon analyzing the images, a wildlife expert who provided support to the center said it likely had a broken left wing and some problem with its right shoulder or wrist. The animal most likely perished quickly during ''Discovery''{{'}}s climb into orbit.<ref>[http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts119/launchbat.html "Bat Hung onto Shuttle During Liftoff"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320072426/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts119/launchbat.html |date=20 March 2009 }}. 19 March 2007.</ref>

In November 2009, [[STS-129]] took [[painted lady]] and [[monarch butterfly]] larvae into space for a school experiment as well as thousands of [[Caenorhabditis elegans|''C. elegans'']] roundworms for long-term weight loss studies.

=== 2010s ===
In May 2011, the last flight of {{OV|105}} ([[STS-134]]) carried two [[golden orb spider]]s, named Gladys and Esmeralda, as well as a fruit fly colony as their food source in order to study the effects of microgravity on spiders' behavior.<ref>[http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/space_spiders_live.html "Spiders in Space – Live!"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140916060838/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/space_spiders_live.html |date=16 September 2014 }}. ''NASA''.</ref><ref name="ZCC">{{Cite journal|last1=Zschokke|first1=Samuel|last2=Countryman|first2=Stefanie|last3=Cushing|first3=Paula E.|date=February 2021|title=Spiders in space—orb-web-related behaviour in zero gravity|journal=The Science of Nature|language=en|volume=108|issue=1|page=1{{hyphen}}10|article-number=1 |doi=10.1007/s00114-020-01708-8|pmid=33270151|pmc=7716925|bibcode=2021SciNa.108....1Z|doi-access=free}}</ref> Tardigrades and extremophiles were also sent into orbit.<ref>{{cite web |author=NASA Staff |url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/BIOKIS.html |title=BIOKon in Space (BIOKIS) |date=2011-05-17 |publisher=[[NASA]] |access-date=2011-05-24 |archive-date=26 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326185832/https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/BIOKIS.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Brennard |first=Emma |title=Tardigrades: Water bears in space |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/12855775 |date=2011-05-17 |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=2011-05-24 |archive-date=23 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223130939/http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/12855775 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=2011-05-17|title=Tardigrades: Water bears in space|publisher=BBC Nature|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/12855775|access-date=20 December 2019|archive-date=23 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191223130939/http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/12855775|url-status=live}}</ref>

In November 2011, the [[Living Interplanetary Flight Experiment]] on the [[Fobos-Grunt]] mission planned to carry [[tardigrades]] to Mars and back; however, the mission failed to leave Earth orbit.

In October 2012, 32 medaka fish were delivered to the [[International Space Station]] by [[Soyuz TMA-06M]] for the new Aquatic Habitat in the [[Kibo (ISS module)|Kibo module]].

On 28 January 2013, Iranian news agencies reported that Iran sent a monkey in a "[[Pishgam]]" rocket to a height of {{convert|72|mi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} and retrieved a "shipment". Later Iran's space research website uploaded an 18-minute video.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ari.ac.ir/index.php/news/35-lastest-developments/572-1391-11-30-12-41-51.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130223023757/http://ari.ac.ir/index.php/news/35-lastest-developments/572-1391-11-30-12-41-51.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 February 2013 |title=Reliability Research Center |language=fa |access-date=2 December 2014 }}</ref> The video was uploaded later on YouTube.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo-7QjxxcDg|title=Iran's Space Monkey Full High Quality Video|author=Mohammad Mohsenipur|date=18 February 2013|access-date=2 December 2014|archive-date=28 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728084153/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xo-7QjxxcDg|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 3 February 2013, on the 31st anniversary of its revolution, [[Islamic Republic of Iran|Iran]] became the latest country to launch animals into space. The animals (a mouse, two [[turtle]]s and some worms) were launched on top of the [[Safir (rocket)|Kavoshgar 3]] rocket and returned alive to Earth.<ref name="Tehran Times ">{{cite news|url=http://tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=213671|title=Tehran Times Political Desk|date=4 February 2010|work=Tehran Times|access-date=5 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100212225529/http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=213671|archive-date=12 February 2010|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna35213146|title='Iran sends mouse, worms, turtles into space|work=NBC News|access-date=2 March 2010|archive-date=23 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423082717/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna35213146|url-status=live}}</ref>

In January 2014, the search strategies of [[Tetramorium caespitum|pavement ants]] were studied on the ISS.<ref>[http://news.discovery.com/animals/insects/ants-hold-their-own-searching-in-space-150331.htm Ants Hold Their Own Searching in Space] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403050631/http://news.discovery.com/animals/insects/ants-hold-their-own-searching-in-space-150331.htm |date=3 April 2015 }}, Discovery News, 31 March 2015</ref><ref>[http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fevo.2015.00025/full Collective search by ants in microgravity] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150331155923/http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fevo.2015.00025/full |date=31 March 2015 }}, Stefanie M. Countryman, Martin C. Stumpe, Sam P. Crow, Frederick R. Adler, Michael J. Greene, Merav Vonshak and Deborah M. Gordon, ''Front. Ecol. Evol.'', 30 March 2015</ref>

On 19 July 2014, Russia announced that they launched their Foton-M4 satellite into low Earth orbit (575 kilometers) with one male and four female geckos (possibly [[gold dust day gecko]]s) as the payload. This was an effort to study the effects of microgravity on reproductive habits of reptiles.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/space/stories/russia-launches-geckos-and-other-critters-into-space | work= MotherNatureNetwork | title= Russia launches geckos and other critters into space| date= 22 July 2014 }}</ref> On 24 July 2014, it was announced that Russia had lost control of the Foton-M4 satellite, leaving only two months to restore contact before the geckos' food supply was exhausted.<ref>{{cite news | url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/24/russia-loses-contact-satellite-geckos | work= The Guardian | title= Russia loses contact with satellite full of geckos | date= 24 July 2014 | access-date= 13 December 2016 | archive-date= 7 May 2016 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160507172934/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/24/russia-loses-contact-satellite-geckos | url-status= live }}</ref> Control of the satellite was subsequently restored on 28 July 2014.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.space.com/26661-russia-space-gecko-capsule-contact-restored.html | work= Space.com | title= Russia Restores Contact with Gecko-Filled Space Capsule | date= 28 July 2014 | access-date= 29 July 2014 | archive-date= 29 July 2014 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140729190955/http://www.space.com/26661-russia-space-gecko-capsule-contact-restored.html | url-status= live }}</ref> On 1 September 2014 Russia confirmed the death of all five geckos, stating that their mummified bodies seem to indicate they froze to death. Russia is said to have appointed an emergency commission to investigate the animals' deaths.<ref>{{cite news | url= https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/sep/01/russia-death-five-geckos-space-sex-mission | work= theguardian.com | title= Russia confirms death of five geckos on space sex mission | date= 1 September 2014 | access-date= 13 December 2016 | archive-date= 10 February 2017 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170210174918/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/sep/01/russia-death-five-geckos-space-sex-mission | url-status= live }}</ref>

On 23 September 2014, [[SpaceX CRS-4]] mission delivered 20 mice to live on the ISS for study of the long-term effects of microgravity on the rodents. This was the first use of the [[Rodent Research Hardware System]].<ref name=Mousetronauts>Bergin, Chris. [http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/09/crs-4-dragon-tuesday-iss-arrival/ "SpaceX's CRS-4 Dragon completes Tuesday arrival at ISS"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140924142121/http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2014/09/crs-4-dragon-tuesday-iss-arrival/ |date=24 September 2014 }}, NASA, 22 September 2014</ref>

On 14 April 2015, the [[SpaceX CRS-6]] delivered 20 [[C57BL/6|C57BL/6NTAC]] mice to live on the ISS for evaluating microgravity as the extreme opposite of a healthy active lifestyle. In the absence of gravity, astronauts are subject to a decrease in muscle, bone, and tendon mass. "Although, we're not out to treat couch potatoes," states head Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research (NIBR) scientist on the project Dr. Sam Cadena, "we're hoping that these experiments will help us to better understand muscle loss in populations where physical activity in any form is not an option; e.g., in the frail elderly or those subjected to bed rest or immobilization due to surgery or chronic disease."<ref>{{cite web|title=Sixth Commercial Resupply Services Flight to the International Space Station|url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/files/SpaceX_CRS-6_Mission_Overview(1).pdf|website=NASA|access-date=22 January 2023}}</ref>

On 8 April 2016, Rodent Research 3 delivered 20 mice on [[SpaceX CRS-8]]. The experiment sponsored by Eli Lilly and Co. was a study of myostatin inhibition for the prevention of [[skeletal atrophy|skeletal]] and [[muscle atrophy|muscle]] atrophy and weakness. Mice are known to have  rapid loss of muscle and bone mass after as little as 12 days of space flight exposure. The mice were euthanized and dissected on the station and then frozen for eventual return to Earth for further study.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dragon SpX-8 Cargo Overview|url=http://spaceflight101.com/dragon-spx8/cargo-overview/|access-date=15 October 2018|archive-date=15 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015231614/http://spaceflight101.com/dragon-spx8/cargo-overview/|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 29 June 2018, a [[SpaceX Dragon]] spaceship blasted off from Florida carrying 20 mice. The rodent crew arrived at the [[international Space Station|ISS]] on 2 July 2018. Their record-breaking journey – this was the longest mice have been off the planet – was part of a study on how Earth-dwellers' physiology and sleep schedules responded to the stress of being in space.<ref>{{cite web|title=NASA just launched 20 mice into space on a SpaceX rocket while their identical twins stay on Earth – here's what they hope to learn|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-launches-mice-to-space-station-for-twin-study-2018-6|website=Business Insider|access-date=29 July 2018|archive-date=13 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713153248/http://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-launches-mice-to-space-station-for-twin-study-2018-6|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Chinese lunar lander [[Chang'e 4]] carries a 3&nbsp;kg sealed container with seeds and insect eggs to test whether plants and insects could hatch and grow together in synergy.<ref name="SA May 2018">{{cite news |last1=David |first1=Leonard |title=Comsat Launch Bolsters China's Dreams for Landing on the Moon's Far Side |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/comsat-launch-bolsters-chinas-dreams-for-landing-on-the-moons-far-side/ |work=Scientific American |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129225206/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/comsat-launch-bolsters-chinas-dreams-for-landing-on-the-moons-far-side/ |archive-date=29 November 2018 |language=en}}</ref> The experiment includes six types of organisms:<ref name='Seeds'>[https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/2182111/chinese-lunar-landers-cotton-seeds-lead-way-plant-life-germinates Chinese lunar lander's cotton seeds spring to life on far side of the moon] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190116174611/https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/2182111/chinese-lunar-landers-cotton-seeds-lead-way-plant-life-germinates |date=16 January 2019 }}. William Zheng, ''South China Morning Post''. 15 January 2019.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-01/15/c_137745432.htm |title=Moon sees first cotton-seed sprout. ''Xinhua News''. 15 January 2019. |access-date=16 January 2019 |archive-date=16 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190116045900/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-01/15/c_137745432.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[cottonseed]], potato, [[rapeseed]], ''[[Arabidopsis thaliana]]'' (a flowering plant), as well as yeast and [[Drosophilidae|fruit fly]] eggs. If the eggs hatch, the larvae would produce carbon dioxide, while the germinated plants would release oxygen through [[photosynthesis]].{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}} A miniature camera is imaging the growth.<ref name='Seeds'/>

On 11 April 2019, the Israeli spacecraft [[Beresheet]] crashed into the Moon during a failed landing attempt.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |author1=Mindy Weisberger |date=2019-08-06 |title=Thousands of Tardigrades Stranded on the Moon After Lunar Lander Crash |url=https://www.livescience.com/66109-tardigrades-moon-israeli-lander.html |access-date=2023-06-14 |website=livescience.com |language=en}}</ref> Its payload included a few thousand [[tardigrade]]s. They could potentially [[Tardigrades on the Moon|survive on the lunar surface]] for some years, although it is unclear if they survived the impact.<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Mindy Weisberger |date=2019-08-15 |title=There Are Thousands of Tardigrades on the Moon. Now What? |url=https://www.livescience.com/moon-tardigrades-future.html |access-date=2023-06-15 |website=livescience.com |language=en}}</ref>

=== 2020s ===
On 3 June 2021, [[SpaceX CRS-22]] launched [[tardigrade]]s (water bears) and [[Euprymna scolopes|Hawaiian bobtail squid]] to the ISS. The squid were launched as hatchlings and will be studied to see if they can incorporate their symbiotic bacteria into their light organ while in space.<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Amy Thompson |date=2021-06-01 |title=SpaceX will launch baby squid and tardigrades to the space station this week |url=https://www.space.com/spacex-dragon-crs-22-launching-squid-tardigrades |access-date=2022-05-10 |website=Space.com |language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Spaceflight|Animals}}
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Alice King Chatham]] – American designer who designed equipment for some of the first animals in space
* {{annotated link|Bioastronautics}}
* [[Félix I]], a canceled Brazilian Army project to launch a cat in 1958–59.
* [[List of microorganisms tested in outer space]]
* [[List of species that have landed on the Moon]]
* {{annotated link|Model organism}}
* {{annotated link|Monkeys and apes in space}}
* ''[[One Small Step: The Story of the Space Chimps]]'', 2008 documentary
* [[Parachuting animals]]
* {{annotated link|Plants in space}}
* {{annotated link|Soviet space dogs}}
* ''[[Space Dogs]]'', 2010 film
* [[Tardigrades on the Moon]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite web |url=http://www.planet4589.org/space/book/astronauts/astronaut/bio.html |title=The History of Spaceflight: Nonhuman astronauts |access-date=31 January 2008 |last=McDowell |first=Jonathan |date=26 January 2000 |work=The History of Spaceflight | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080202035903/http://planet4589.org/space/book/astronauts/astronaut/bio.html| archive-date= 2 February 2008 | url-status= live}}
* Caswell, Kurt. 2018. ''Laika's window: The legacy of a Soviet space dog''. San Antonio: Trinity University Press. 
* L. W. Fraser and E. H. Siegler, High Altitude Research Using the V-2 Rocket, March 1946 – April 1947 (Johns Hopkins University, Bumblebee Series Report No. 8, July 1948), p.&nbsp;90.
* Kenneth W. Gatland, ''Development of the Guided Missile'' (London and New York, 1952), p.&nbsp;188
* Capt. David G. Simons, Use of V-2 Rocket to Convey Primate to Upper Atmosphere (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, AF Technical Report 5821, May 1949), p.&nbsp;1.
* [[Lloyd Mallan]], ''Men, Rockets, and Space Rats'' (New York, 1955), pp.&nbsp;84–93.
* {{Cite journal |first1=James P. |last1=Henry |title=Animal Studies of the Subgravity State during Rocket Flight |journal=Journal of Aviation Medicine |volume=23 |issue= 5|pages=421–432 |year=1952 |pmid=12990569 |first2=ER |last2=Ballinger|last3=Maher |first3=PJ |last4=Simons |first4=DG|display-authors=1}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Animals in space exploration}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090505193206/http://www.releasechimps.org/harm-suffering/research-history/air-space/ History of chimpanzees in U.S. air and space research]
* [https://history.nasa.gov/afspbio/part1.htm History of Research in Space Biology and Biodynamics (NASA)]
* [http://www.spacechimps.com ''One Small Step: The Story of the Space Chimps''. Documentary on History of Primates Used in Space Travel]
* [http://www.purr-n-fur.org.uk/famous/felix.html Purr 'n' Fur: Felicette and Felix, Space Cats]

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{{Spaceflight}}

[[Category:Animals in space| ]]
[[Category:Animal keeping by humans]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Space-flown life|*]]