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Did you know that a real space race between two wildlife species took place in 1960?

Before humans ever ventured into space, the world saw its first non-human astronauts. In 1947, the US laid the groundwork for animal space travel when fruit flies were sent 68 miles up in a V-2 rocket. Yet, the most famous of these pioneering species are undoubtedly those from the canine and simian families. On November 3rd, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Laika, the first dog to orbit the Earth on Sputnik 2. Laika's mission was unfortunately one-way, with the lack of technology at that time failing to guarantee her safe return. However, less than three years later on January 31, 1961, the USA reciprocated by catapulting a chimpanzee, Ham, into the same infinite expanse. Unlike Laika, Ham made it back to Earth safely after a 16-minute flight, effectively making him the first hominid in space. This unexpected space race not only underlines the rapid development of satellite and space technology during the 20th century, but also portrays the extent to which animalkind contributed to our early strides into cosmic exploration.

Tags: #SpaceRace #AnimalAstronauts #AnimalAstronauts #SpaceHistory