Honoring The First Cat In Space

You’ve heard of dogs in space and monkeys in space…but cats in space? That might be a new one. It’s a little known fact that the French space program successfully sent a cat named Félicette to space in 1963. One man has set out to make sure the world never forgets.

Matthew Serge Guy, a creative director from London, began a Kickstarter to build a statue that honors Félicette. He became aware of her story after seeing a tea towel that mentioned a cat in space. After some Googling, he found the whole history of this astrocat.

Credit: Kickstarter

Turns out, Félicette was chosen from a group of 14 cats that went through rigorous training. On October 18, 1963, she was blasted into space and experienced 5 minutes of weightlessness. When she returned, her brain waves were studied to determine the effect of space on animals.

Credit: The Sydney Morning Herald

Determined to make sure that she was remembered properly for her contributions, he decided to crowdfund a statue to be placed in her native Paris. Matthew had originally set out to raise $52,681 to fund the project, and he has already surpassed his goal. The project has already raised over $55,000 from over 1,100 different backers.

As a reward for their support, these backers will receive a variety of different items according to the amount donated. The rewards range from postcards and pins to statue replicas and personalized plaques.

Credit: Kickstarter

Support for the project is all over social media. Using #AstrocatStatue, people were able to spread the word about this amazing feline and her brave journey to space. Thanks to people like Matthew, Félicette will finally get the celebration she deserves.

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Sarah Cookson

Writer/Dog Enthusiast living in New York City. Only goes to parties in hopes there will be a dog there to hang out with. Her resolutions for 2017 were to eat healthier and pet more pups. Bet you can guess which one she stuck with.

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