While Laika, the Soviet dog, is often remembered as the first animal to orbit Earth in 1957, France soon followed with its own historic mission. According to NASA, on October 18, 1963, French ...

In 1963, a cat was launched into space for the first time. To this day, Félicette is the only cat to have survived a trip to space. A bronze statue in her likeness was created to honor her at the ...