Science
Albert II was a rhesus monkey who became the first primate to travel to space in 1959. He flew in the US V-2 rocket. It was crucial for understanding the effects of space.
Ham the Chimpanzee was the first to be trained for space. In 1962, the chimpanzee flew on Mercury-Redstone 2 mission. The mission was successful and helped the engineers.
Belka and Strelka are two Soviet dogs who orbited the Earth successfully in 1960. They are the first animals to come back alive from a successful space mission.
Laika is the first animal to orbit the Earth. She was a Soviet dog who orbited the Earth in 1957 in Sputnik 2.
Félicette the cat was the one and only cat to travel the space. France launched the cat in space in 1963 to understand the effect of space on living beings.
In 1968, the Soviets launched several tortoises from Zond 5. They orbited the moon with worms and soil. After 5 days of mission, they crashed on Indian ocean and survived.
Tardigrades or water bears are tiny and resilient creatures that were sent to space in 2007. They can survive in harsh conditions and have high adaptability.