Space Programs And The Animals They Used
Space Programs And The Animals They Used
With Iran claiming that it recently sent a monkey into space on top of the other animals sent in the past like rat’s worms and turtles, the question of what makes a good animal astronaut seems to be raised.
Since the start of the space race back in the 50’s to the present, most scientist searched for the same attributes in all animals that were ever considered for space travel.
The weight is the first and possibly most important feature considering the high cost every gram sent into space, so the lighter the animal the better.
Another very important feature would be the size, with cockpits being small in present times, not to mention back in the day, the size of the chosen species would have been very important.
Thirdly, scientists would choose the animal they have most experience with so they can better understand its reactions and monitor every stimulus.
American scientist have done experiments on monkeys for a long time, from putting them in a centrifuge to monitoring their psychological reactions when exposed to different stress levels so it seemed only logical that the American space program would send chimpanzees and other monkeys on their test flights.
Russians have used dogs for the same reasons, with dogs being light, relatively small animals, that the Russians have studied since the beginning of the 20th century.
This led to the most famous astronaut dog, Laika, being the first living creature to orbit the earth back in the 50’s.
After choosing the species of animal that is going into space, other tests to find the most suitable candidate were done. So before choosing Laika, Russian scientists did a series of preliminary tests that consisted in seeing how dogs would react to confined spaces, loud noises and even how they would react when having to relive themselves in their space suits.
Sadly, Laika didn't make it back from her mission as she died just a few hours after reaching outer orbit.
The American chimpanzee and other monkey tests we’re based on the same type of eliminatory system, where the animals reaction to confined spaces and noises was tested, even more, some were trained to flick certain switches when colored lights appeared in the cockpit. However, most of the animals sent into space were sent there sedated.
The first living things to be sent into space were flies, specifically fruit flies. Being an easy to study insect, it was important to send them so scientists could test for chromosomal damage and the effects of radiation in outer space conditions. For the same reasons as animals and flies, fungus spores were sent into space, however, the capsules containing the spores were never recovered.
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