Space mammals are animals that have been sent to space. In both the United States and Russia, animals were sent to space to test each country’s ability to launch a living organism into space and bring it back alive and unharmed. On June 11, 1948, a V-2 Blossom launched into space from White Sands, New Mexico, carrying Albert, a rhesus monkey. Astronomers were sending animals to space to see if microgravity was stable for them and what other aspects of space flight might do to a human body. Before humans went to space, animals such as guinea pigs were used for these tests.
NASA in the US launched flights carrying monkeys (and chimps) primarily between 1948 and 1961. But did you know that some animals can live in space? Water bears, or tardigrades, are super tiny animals best known for their ability to survive in some of the harshest conditions, such as extreme heat, extreme cold, and the bottom of the oceans.
Did you know that the first animals to go to the moon were two turtles, which flew there on August 7, 1969? Now, let’s answer a crucial question: Can humans have babies on Mars? The answer is no, due to the hot climate and insufficient atmospheric oxygen. Thus, people can’t live on Mars.