 | |
| Othername | C 341 |
|---|---|
| Species | Felis catus |
| Sex | Female |
| Died | 1963 |
| Nationality | France |
| Occupation | Astronaut |
| Known for | The only cat launched into space |
| Owner | French government |
| Weight | 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) |
| Appearance | Tuxedo cat |
| Named after | Felix the Cat |
Félicette (French pronunciation:[felisɛt]) was aParisian cat that became the first feline launched into space on 18 October 1963 as part of theFrench space program. She was one of 14 female cats trained for spaceflight. The cats hadelectrodes implanted into their skulls to monitor their neurological activity throughout the flight. During the flight, electrical impulses were applied to the brain and a leg to stimulate responses. The capsule was recovered 13 minutes after the rocket was ignited. Most of the data from the mission was of good quality, and Félicette survived the flight but waseuthanised two months later for the examination of her brain.
Félicette was designated C 341 before the flight, and after the flight, the media gave her the name Félix, afterFelix the Cat.Centre d'Enseignement et de Recherches de Médecine Aéronautique (CERMA) modified this to the feminine Félicette and adopted it as her official name. Postage stamps worldwide commemorated her, and a statue with her likeness is on display at theInternational Space University. France's feline biological rocketpayloads were preceded by rats and followed by monkeys.
On 14 June 1949, aU.S. suborbital flight carried the first mammal into space, aRhesus monkey namedAlbert II. On 3 November 1957, theSoviet Union launchedLaika, a stray dog found on the streets of Moscow, into space onSputnik 2. She died in space but was the first animal to orbit the Earth.[3] Brazilian Army colonel Manuel dos Santos Lage planned to launch a cat named Flamengo aboard theFélix I rocket on 1 January 1959, but the flight was cancelled over ethical concerns regarding the use of a cat.[4][5] On 31 January 1961, as part ofProject Mercury, the chimpanzeeHam became the firsthominid launched into space for asuborbital flight.[6] On 29 November 1961,Enos became the second chimpanzee launched into space, and fourthhominid aftercosmonautsYuri Gagarin andGherman Titov, to achieveEarth orbit.[7]
The French rocket program began in 1961.[8] Flights of theVéronique rocket had been reinstated in 1959 and were run by the Comité des Recherches Spatiales (CRS).[9] France's base in the Sahara launched a rat named Hector on 22 February 1961, causing France to become the third country to launch animals into space.[10][11] Hector hadelectrodes implanted on his skull soneurological activity could be monitored. Two rockets with rat payloads followed on 15 and 18 October.[12] French scientists wanted to use larger mammals and chose cats since they already had significant neurological data.[12][13]
In 1963,Centre d'Enseignement et de Recherches de Médecine Aéronautique (CERMA) purchased 14 cats from a pet dealer for testing, with the individual animals selected based on their temperament; all of the cats were female, for their calmer demeanor. The cats were unnamed before the launch to reduce the likelihood that the scientists would become attached to them.[14] All of the cats had permanent electrodes surgically implanted into their brain to assess neurological activity.[15] Some of the cats' spaceflight training was similar to training for humans. This was carried out by CERMA and included using thehigh-G centrifuge[16] three-axis chair with simulated rocket noise.[17] Cat-specific training included confinement in their container and experience withstanding the restraint cloth. The animals trained for about two months; this limit was set by the risk of electrodepolarization.[18][definition needed]
The crew began preparing at the launch site on 8 October 1963. On 11 October, the heading beacon was tested by placing it in a helicopter and tracking it with ground stations. On the 12th, thetelemetry in thenose cone was unsuccessfully tested, followed by a successful test the next day. There were issues testing the homing beacon on the 14th and 15th, but all electronics functioned satisfactorily on 16 October.[19]
On 17 October, six feline finalists were selected as candidates for the flight, and atuxedo cat with the designation C 341 was chosen for the flight on launch day, along with a backup. Weighing in at 2.5 kilograms (5.5 lb), C 341 was selected as the best of the six finalists due to her calm demeanor and appropriate weight.[15][19] Electrodes were attached to her forward left and right rear leg to monitor cardiac activity. Nine electrodes had previously been implanted on her skull: two in the front sinus, one in the somatic area, two in the ventral hippocampal, two in the reticular area, and two in the association cortex. Two electrodes were glued to a foreleg so electrical impulses could be used to stimulate them during the flight. Twomicrophones, one on her chest and one on the nose cone of the rocket, monitored her breathing.[18]The launch vehicle used was the Véronique AGI 47sounding rocket, made inVernon,Haute-Normandie.[20][21] The Véronique rocket came from the German World War IIAggregate rocket family,[22] developed forInternational Geophysical Year (French:Année géophysique internationale) in 1957 for biological research.[12]
On 18 October 1963 at 8:09 am, C 341 was launched into space from theCentre interarmées d'essais d'engins spéciaux site inAlgeria.[23][24] The mission was a sub-orbital flight and lasted 13 minutes. The rocket engine burned for 42 seconds on ascent and C 341 experienced 9.5 g of acceleration.[24] The nose cone separated from the rocket before reaching a height of 152 kilometres (94 miles) and the cat was subjected to five minutes of weightlessness.[2][25] Prior to parachute deployment, spin and vibration on the nose cone caused 7 g of acceleration. The parachutes deployed 8 minutes and 55 seconds into the launch, applying 9 g. Thirteen minutes after the rocket was ignited, a helicopter arrived at the payload.[4] C 341 was recovered safely, and the mission made her the first cat to reach space.[26][27]
High-quality data was recorded throughout the flight, other than the reticular measurements and data recorded during reentry. Electrical shocks were administered to C 341 at a higher rate than intended. She was vigilant during the ascent phase due to being a payload in a rocket. Her heart rate slowed during themicrogravity phase, and her breathing became nominal. The turbulent reentry caused her heart rate to rise, but poor data made it difficult to analyze.[28] The flight's biological data were given to the media, who named C 341 "Félix" after theFélix the Cat cartoon series. CERMA changed it to the feminine Félicette and adopted the name as official.[29] Félicette was euthanized two months after the launch so that scientists could perform a necropsy to examine her brain.[30]
The French launched a second cat into space on 24 October. An explosive bolt that would release the rocket from the launch pad failed to function, causing the rocket to launch at an extreme angle. The radiotransponder stopped working on the launch pad, which created difficulties in finding the rocket. A helicopter spotted the parachute but could not land, so the agency dispatched ground vehicles. They were unable to get past some barbed wire. The next day, a helicopter was again dispatched and was able to land at the site. The nose cone where the payload was housed was heavily damaged, and the cat had died.[20][31]
Of the remaining 12 cats that were trained, the fate of 11 is known.[clarify] One cat's health deteriorated after the electrode surgery, so the scientists removed them. The group adopted her as their mascot and named her Scoubidou, as she had ascoubidou braid around her neck, a popular style at the time.[32] The other nine cats were euthanized at the end of the program.[29]
France continued its biological payload research, changing to monkeys. A monkey known as Martine was launched on 7 March 1967 and Pierrette six days later. They were both successfully recovered. France concluded biological payload research at the national level with these flights but later worked on biological payloads with the Soviet Union in the 1970s.[29]
According to an article inSpace.com on 8 November 2017, the participation of Félicette in the space race "... was certainly not voluntary, but it was a huge milestone for France, which had just established the world's third civilian space agency (after the Soviet Union and the U.S.). Félicette's mission helped bring France into the space race."[33] Félicette's flight was much less popular than other spaceflights at the time. Burgess and Dubbs believe this is due to photos of her with electrodes implanted on her skull and the newanimal rights movement.[34]
Former French colonies have created stamps to commemorate Félicette's flight.Comoros released a stamp in 1992 as one of a series of stamps featuring animals involved in spaceflight; the stamp used the nameFélix. In 1997, postage stamps commemorating Félicette and other animals in space were issued inChad, again using the nameFélix. A 1999 stamp inNiger also usedFélix.[33][35][36]
The UPS student astronomy club atUniversité Toulouse III will name its futureastronomical observatory in honor of Félicette. It will be the first French observatory entirely managed by students and was due to open in 2021. The 500 mmDall-Kirkham telescope (3500 mmfocal length) will be housed in a motorized dome 3.90 m in diameter.[37][38]
While some non-human animals which traveled in space were celebrated as heroes—the chimpanzeeHam was buried at theInternational Space Hall of Fame inNew Mexico, U.S., and the Soviet dogLaika has a bronze monument at theYuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, nearStar City in Russia—more than 50 years after her mission there was no monument for Félicette. Then, in 2017 a crowdfunding campaign was started by Matthew Serge Guy to erect a bronze statue of Félicette to commemorate her contribution to science.[33] The statue was designed by sculptor Gill Parker.[39] The preliminary design depicted a cat on top of the Earth, and a plaque featuring the names of significant donors was to be included. In April 2018, the project met its £40,000 funding target.[33][40][41]
In April 2019, Guy announced that the statue was to be located in Eastern France at theInternational Space University.[42] The statue was unveiled on 18 December 2019, as a part of the 25th anniversary celebration of the University's Master of Space Studies program. It is 1.5-metre (5 ft) tall and depicts Félicette "perched atop Earth, gazing up toward the skies she once traveled". Guy wrote in a Kickstarter update, "It's crazy to think a video I put online... has resulted in this. The internet's an alright place sometimes."[43]
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