These animals are some of the unsung heroes of the space race. We salute you, Laika and co.
Albert II
NASA via universetoday.com
Albert II's launch
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum / en.wikipedia.org
Yorick, 1951.
Along with 11 mouse crewmates, Yorick the monkey was the first animal to survive a rocket flight on 20 September 1951, in something similar to the Aerobee rocket above. But don’t get too excited – he died 2 hours after landing. Two of the mice did too. Their deaths were thought to be a result of sitting in the New Mexico heat waiting for the recovery team.
US Air Force / Via nationalmuseum.af.mil
