This is Félicette, a stray cat that became the first feline launched into space on 18 October 1963, as part of the French space program. Weighing just five and a half pounds, she was chosen for her calmness and resilience, making her the perfect candidate for the mission.⁠ In October 1963, a black-and-white stray from Paris named Félicette made history as the first and only cat to travel to space. Selected by French scientists for her calm demeanor, she soared 154 kilometers above Earth on a suborbital flight and returned safely, securing her place in space exploration history. Yet Félicette’s story is as tragic as it is groundbreaking. Just two months after her successful mission, she was euthanized so researchers could study the effects of space travel on her body. Her sacrifice yielded little scientific insight, and for decades, her name faded into obscurity. That changed in 2019, when a statue was unveiled in her honor at the International Space University in Strasbourg, depicting her gazing toward the stars, a long-overdue tribute to a small cat who helped expand humanity’s reach beyond Earth.

@konstructivizm They should have euthanized the scientist to see what kind of crap runs through their veins and if whether they had a brain or not.

@konstructivizm several of the cats trained to go to space, Félicette was one of them. we owe space animals like Félicette, Laika the dog and Ham the chimpanzee a lot

@konstructivizm humans were the true monsters all along...

@konstructivizm Another hero is Laika, but sadly no provisions were made for her return to Earth so she died, like her Félicette should not be forgotten they should be remembered as true heroes.

@konstructivizm Why not using killers, rapists, pedos, zoophiles for experiments is beyond my comprehension

@konstructivizm But you just said that "her sacrifice yielded little scientific insight" So she didn't actually "help expand humanity’s reach beyond Earth." If anything she was just another drop in the ocean of animal abuse and sacrifice in the name of futile scientific progress.

@konstructivizm There've also been some really cute stamps in her honor

@konstructivizm She survived the launch but scientists killed her. Humanity deserves all the world's catastrophes.

@konstructivizm I display the Felicet and Leica pin badges as a set. RIP...

@konstructivizm They could have studied the effects on her body without killing her. Or do they euthanize their astronauts too?

@konstructivizm Felicette and Laika...I'm so sorry 💔

@konstructivizm What did they discover from her death? Was it really worth it?

@konstructivizm @couturecrema Wow so that’s actually evil.

@konstructivizm Sad to read this

@konstructivizm So her beautiful personality and disposition was used against her and ultimately ended her life. Really sad.

@konstructivizm Meanwhile, Ham the monkey launched by the US in 61 died in 1983.

@konstructivizm Bro, my cat still hasn't forgiven me for driving him 5 minutes to the vet and back

@konstructivizm If you kill me to find out the effects of anything, please don't refer to it as my sacrifice, I do not consent. It is murder as was this beautiful cat's. Pretty, selective words don't change that. Her inability to consent should have disqualified her as a candidate.

@konstructivizm Disgusting to me the heartlessness of humans. There is something lacking in us.

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@konstructivizm Sad story ! To be chosen because you are calm and later sacrificed for science !! 😪😪😪

@konstructivizm If they really wanted to see the effects, they should have kept her alive. Studying a dead body would have not produced any results. It is still upsetting how she was treated, and she should have been given better care, but animals were sadly not well respected then 😢

@konstructivizm I hope karma came to those worthless "researchers". 100x karma... no, 1000.

@konstructivizm The effects of space travel on the cat's body were apparently negligible compared to the effects of scientific curiosity.

@konstructivizm LOVE THIS ❤️

@konstructivizm Did researchers ever had to ki|| humans to study the effects of space travel on the body? Why the poor animal?

@konstructivizm poor cat! "sacrificed"... for what? killed for mankind's Hybris

@konstructivizm she has the same face as my cat

@konstructivizm WHAT SHITBAGS TO PURPOSEFULLY MURDER THIS POOR KITTY. SHITBAGS. @CNES SHITBAGS.

@konstructivizm There's a mosaic panneau in the city of Dubna near Moscow dedicated to her. Her story makes me sad every time I see it

@konstructivizm @luigi_warren Who are the asshole “scientists” who euthanized her? Has the statute of limitations run its course?

@konstructivizm Reminder that the “evil nazis” banned experiments on animals.

@konstructivizm Wouldn’t you be able to find out how space travel affected a living thing better by letting them live and studying them over time compared to a control? What a fucking dumb idea to kill them.

@konstructivizm It makes me sick to think on what this beautiful cat was subjected to. This cat, and countless others, still and always. Humans are murderers in so many ways.

@konstructivizm It could have been interesting, but all I remember from the story is the murder of a cat.

@konstructivizm She looks like my cat. Even if it's a reincarnation, even if you don't, let's cherish it. She is very smart☺️

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