October 18, 1963

This is Felicette. The French, former stray cat,has a place in history:

'On October 18th, 1963, the Centre national d’études in France was set to send a small cat named Félix into space. After lagging behind its Soviet and American competitors, France was eager to stake its claim in the space race—with cats, for some reason. But on launch day, the mischievous little beast went missing—and an accidental heroine stepped in to take his place. Her name was Félicette.

'From the streets of Paris, this tuxedo kitty—nicknamed “Astrocat”—would reach heights never achieved [before] by feline kind. .... Félicette jetted 130 miles above Earth on a liquid-fueled French Véronique AG1 rocket, soaring high above the Algerian Sahara Desert. She returned just fifteen minutes later, already a decorated heroine for her nation.'