The story behind “FELICETTE – The Space Cat” Basically I’m on a mission to make Felicette as well known as Laika and the other more famous “animal astronauts” people know about.
I have written a biographical book about Felicette, which hasn’t been taken by a publisher yet but I’ll keep trying! I think Felicette is one of the forgotten heroines of the Space Age, and I’ve also written a Middle Grade novel featuring both Felicette and Laika. The July issue of the popular UK magazine “All About Space” contained a 4-page feature written by me about Felicette (shown here being totally ignored by my own cat, Jess.!)… So, for the past few years I have been talking about her to lots of people and writing about her on social media and in magazines. I was quite surprised and embarrassed that I hadn’t known much about her previously, and I decided to try to make her story known to more people. When I was writing and researching “A Cat’s Guide to The Night Sky” I learned about Felicette – the first (and so far only) cat to go into space. This coming October will see the 59th anniversary of a space mission not many people even know about – the flight of the first, and so far only, cat to go into space. We feel we have got a lot of very valuable information.Last year actor William Shatner, famous for playing Captain Kirk in Star Trek, flew into space onboard a Blue Origin capsule, making headlines all around the world. Nothing succeeds like success.” And Dr Robert Gilruth, director of NASA’s “space task group,” said: “We regard it as a successful test. Gordon Cooper, one of the astronauts who observed the flight from the control blockhouse, said: “I am certainly very happy about the shot. He got his name “from the way he hammed it up as we put him in the capsule.”Ĭaptain L. 65, but immediately it was known that he had survived, NASA announced that his nickname was “Ham.” It had kept the name secret previously for fear that it would “humanise” the attempt. But just in case of accidents, he wore a regular baby’s napkin under his space suit.īefore the flight the chimpanzee was known simply as No. After all electrical connections had been made, the steel hatch of the capsule slammed shut on the chimpanzee.įor the last 24 hours the chimpanzee has been on a special diet, including baby food, which is low in water content. Then he was driven in a big white van with a police escort to be placed in the capsule waiting on top of a Redstone rocket. Ham, Nasa’s space chimpanzee, in his flight suit. He seemed quite cheerful and at ease and screeched at them a few times when flashlights went off too near his face. Photographers had a brief glimpse of Ham after his physical examination and before he was strapped into his pressurised suit and couch. A NASA spokesman said chimpanzees were chosen because “their high intelligence and docility make them outstanding performers in the conduct of complex tasks in restricted situations.” The chimpanzee entered the capsule after an exhaustive physical examination he was chosen last night as the physically and psychologically best fitted of the six monkeys here. Six of the seven astronauts were here to watch and help in today’s up and down flight, which one of them may make as early as April if careful physical and mental checks on the monkey and all technical aspects show the flight to be a complete success. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said instruments showed that the chimpanzee “performed satisfactorily during the flight.” He will be brought to Cape Canaveral for still further tests some time late tomorrow. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said this was because of “higher than usual booster thrust.”Īfter being taken out of the capsule, Ham promptly shook hands with the veterinary surgeon and was then taken to the sick bay for preliminary examination. It landed about 420 miles down range instead of 290 miles, and travelled at 5,000 m.p.h. The nine-foot-high Mercury capsule, mounted in a Redstone rocket, carried the chimpanzee in a form-fitting fibre-glass couch 40 miles higher than expected - to 155 miles.
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