Cats in space | Felix and Felicette

Cats in simulated spacesuits [NASA archive]

Among many animal which have been sent to space, only French have sent a cat. Events that led to that launch happened in early 1960’s when French government obtained numerous cats and put them to initial tests. Cats were conditioned to live in small and enclosed spaces, they were suited in special spacesuits witch monitored their health conditions and were subjugated to various tests that would simulate launch and reentry conditions (compression chambers, centrifuges and rocket propelled sleds).

In mid October 1963 everything was ready. Male cat called Felix was chosen to undertake first mission but on the day of the launch this soon to be space cat managed to escape! His replacement was a female cat Félicette which was launched on 18 October 1963 riding the French Véronique AG1 rocket from Algerian Sahara desert rocket base. During her 15 minutes long flight she reached the altitude of 130 miles and safely returned to Earth alive. On 24 October French sent another cat into space but this time they recovered capsule two days late and unknown astronaut cat was already dead by then.

Félix and Félicette remained remembered in France and they appeared on several stamp collections during the years.

Mummy of a cat

Thanks to Nicole Page-Smith

Cat Mummies | British Museum

Thanks to Nicole Page-Smith

Cat Mummy X-ray

Thanks to Nicole Page-Smith

Egyptian Cat Mummy

Egypt, Ptolemaic Period Linen, mummified cat.
Brooklyn Museum

Egyptian Cat | from Diodorus Siculus

"Whoever kills a cat in Egypt is condemmed to death, whether he committed this crime deliberately or not. The people gather and kill him. An unfortunate Roman, who had accidentally killed a cat, could not be saved, either by King Ptolemy of Egypt or by the fear which Rome inspired."

The Cat in Ancient Egypt

After the pyramids and the kohl painted eyes, almost nothing evokes more awe and mystery than the fascination ancient Egyptians had with cats.

They were not only the most popular pet in the house, but their status rose to that of the sacred animals and then on to the most esteemed deities like no other creature before them.

Although no one can pinpoint the time exactly, we know that the cat was domesticated in Egypt, probably around 2000 B.C., and that most modern cats are descendants of the cats of ancient Egypt. One reason it is difficult to say precisely when domestication occurred is that the ancient Egyptians did not distinguish between wild and tame cats in their descriptions of them. There was one word for cat-and that was miu or mii, meaning "he or she who mews."

Read more at www.touregypt.net