Animal astronauts paved the way for modern space travel

For nearly 80 years, various animals have served as essential test pilots to help scientists understand the effects of radiation, vacuum, and weightlessness on living organisms. This biological research provided the technical and medical foundation for modern spaceflight.

Early milestones began in 1947 when the United States launched fruit flies aboard a V-2 rocket to study radiation. Subsequent missions included Albert II, a rhesus monkey who became the first mammal to reach space, and the Soviet Union’s successful deployment of dogs Tsygan and Dezik in 1951.

One of the most significant and tragic milestones was the 1957 mission of Laika, a Soviet stray dog who became the first animal to orbit Earth aboard Sputnik 2. While she did not survive the mission, her flight drew global attention to the costs of space exploration. Later successes included the Soviet dogs Belka and Strelka, who safely orbited Earth in 1960, and American monkeys such as Able and Baker, who demonstrated that living creatures could survive the rigors of spaceflight and reentry.