Statue of Félicette the space cat
5
67400, France, Strasbourg, Pioneer's Hall, ISU
1
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Description
Statue of Félicette the space cat is a 1.5-meter bronze statue commemorating the first and only cat to fly into space in 1963.
The sculpture depicts Félicette sitting on top of the planet Earth and looking up at the stars. It shares a room with the bust of Yuri Gagarin in the Pioneer's Hall of the International Space University in Strasbourg.
It's a unique place for space and animal lovers that brings back the memory of a little-known but fascinating chapter in the history of space exploration.
Reviews
★5
Andrea Schwingenschuha year agoFrom a post by the amazing app "Star Walk 2":
When we talk about animals in space, we usually think first of Belka and Strelka, the brave dogs who flew beyond our planet. But there's another remarkable astronaut who deserves our attention: Félicette, a small black and white cat who made history in October 1963.
The idea of sending a cat into space originated with scientists at the French Center for Aerospace Medicine (CERMA) in the early 1960s. They were interested in how the cat's delicate vestibular system, which helps it maintain balance on Earth, would react in the weightlessness of space.
The scientists decided to send the cat on a suborbital flight. The launch vehicle had to exceed an altitude of 100 km (the "space boundary"), then climb a little higher, where the capsule containing the cat would separate from the rocket, spend a few minutes in zero gravity, and then return to Earth.
The entire flight would last about 15 minutes, but cats have difficulty sitting still, even for such a short time.
One particular black and white cat stood out from the crowd, and electrodes were implanted to monitor its brain activity. At the time, it was known only as C341; to avoid an emotional bond with the test animals, the scientists gave the cat no name, just a number. Weighing 2.5 kg, C341 was chosen for its calm demeanor and reasonable weight.
During the flight, the little space cat was subjected to forces of up to 9.5 g—almost twice as much as the Apollo astronauts experienced during their launch to the moon! However, the flight data confirmed that Félicette remained completely still.
``` During landing, Félicette felt "only" 7 g until her capsule's parachutes opened. Thirteen minutes after launch, the capsule floated safely to Earth and landed upside down—a remarkable feat for a cat astronaut.
It took about 15 minutes for scientists to locate and recover Félicette after landing. Amazingly, she left the capsule unharmed, a testament to the success of her mission.
About two months after her return, researchers conducted various studies on her.
However, the electrodes that had been implanted in her brain before the flight had to be removed so that scientists could obtain all the necessary information about the cat's vestibular system and brain. Unfortunately, Félicette was euthanized for this.
The scientists later admitted that they had learned nothing useful from the autopsy.
Despite her scientific achievements, Félicette received far less recognition than the other animal astronauts. For example, the chimpanzee Ham was honored with a burial in the International Space Hall of Fame, while the dog Laika was honored with monuments. Félicette was even mistakenly referred to on postage stamps as a cat named Felix.
One reason for Félicette's obscurity is that early space history often focused on the rivalry between the US and the USSR, leaving France and its space program in the background.
Félicette's story took a new turn in 2017 when enthusiast Matthew Serge Guy launched a Kickstarter campaign in her honor.
More than 1,100 people donated, and the campaign raised $57,000 to honor Félicette's memory. The money was used for a 1.5-meter-tall bronze statue of Félicette, created by sculptor Gill Parker.
The statue depicts Félicette sitting on Earth, gazing at the sky she once crossed. It was unveiled on December 18, 2019, almost six decades after her journey, on the campus of the International Space University in Strasbourg.
Image credit: Vito Technology, Inc.
Text credit: Vito Technology, Inc.Related categories
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67400, France, Strasbourg, Pioneer's Hall, ISU
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