The stray cat that became France's only space cat

A closer look

While the Americans and Soviets were throwing dogs and chimps at the stratosphere, France decided to be unapologetically French and used an alley cat. In 1963, scientists strapped electrodes to Felicette's brain, jammed her into a rocket, and shot her nearly a hundred miles above the Earth. She experienced five minutes of weightlessness before safely parachuting back down. She remains the only feline astronaut, mostly because cats absolutely hate following directions.