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Slideshow · Science

15 Animals That went to space before humans

Long before human astronauts orbited Earth or walked on the Moon, biological pioneers from fruit flies to tortoises tested whether living creatures could survive launch and weightlessness.

3 hours ago

6 Min Read16 Slides
  1. Chimpanzee Ham receiving an apple after his Mercury-Redstone 2 suborbital spaceflight in January 1961.
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Long before human astronauts orbited Earth or walked on the Moon, biological pioneers from fruit flies to tortoises tested whether living creatures could survive launch and weightlessness.

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©Wikimedia / Museum of Cosmonaut & NASA / Marshall Space

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