Animals in Space (10 photos) Bashny.Net

Feb. 3, Iran announced the successful launch of its first rocket into space - "Kavoshgar 3". On board - a mouse, two turtles and a few worms. Iran's first "astronauts" returned to Earth safely, although the news has become for Western agencies are not the most pleasant: because now they are even more agitated that space technology will help Iran develop nuclear warheads. And we, in the meantime, let us remember the brave our little brothers, who first visited in space.



1. The first was our Laika. In 1957 the Soviet Union launched into Earth orbit dog. Laika, which was formerly homeless, was chosen from three candidates. Even though she died a few hours after the launch, it proved that a living being can survive launch and weightlessness. (Corbis / Bettmann)



2. Breeders in the Academy of Sciences of the USSR demonstrate their best dogs to participate in the space program. In the 1950s and 1960s the Soviet Union launched a mission in which there were 57 slots for dogs. As a result, flew into space much smaller animals, but some dogs have been there more than once. (James Whitmore / Life)



3. Squirrel monkey wrapped in rubber rubber, connected and placed in the capsule during training exercises for a flight into space. Her teammate, known as Gordo, in the same way sent into space in 1958 to a height of 498 km. Although it is believed that Gordo survived his parachute did not work, and the capsule was lost at sea. (Grey Villet / Time Life Pictures / Getty)



4. The first two monkeys who survived the journey into space, presented at a press conference by NASA in 1959. Abel (left) - 3-pound rhesus monkey, and Baker - 311-gram squirrel monkey from Peru, experienced hand at 38 times normal gravity and weightlessness for 9 minutes during his historic flight. Able died four days after returning to Earth at the time of surgery to remove the electrode. Baker lived until 1984. (Ed Clark / Time Life Pictures / Getty)



5. In early 1961 - a few months after Gagarin's flight into space - NASA used a chimpanzee to help fix this problem in the "Mercury". About 20 chimpanzees were trained at the airport "Holloman" in New Mexico on a special simulator. (Ralph Crane / Time Life Pictures / Getty)



6. Chimpanzees on the basis of "Holloman" taught to perform simple tasks in response to electric lights and sounds. Jim - chimpanzees in the photo - mistake: here he had to press the middle lever. (Ralph Crane / Time Life Pictures / Getty)



7. Chimpanzee participating in the program, preparing to launch a capsule "Mercury". (Ralph Crane / Time Life Pictures / Getty)



8. Two chimpanzees were successfully launched into orbit. Chimpanzee named Ham, whose journey lasted 16 minutes and 59 seconds, held in January 1961. His brother Enos launched ten months later. Enos went around the earth twice. (Donald Uhrbrock / Time Life Pictures / Getty)



9. After his brief trip into orbit Ham landed in the Atlantic Ocean, and with a capsule lifted rescue boat. During the flight, he was only slightly injured nose. (Ralph Crane / Time Life Pictures / Getty)