What was the first animal in Space?

First Animal in Space The first animals intentionally sent into space were fruit flies, which traveled along with corn seeds aboard a U.S.-launched V2 rocket in mid July, 1946. The purpose of the experiment was to explore the effects of radiation exposure at high altitudes. Some further V2 missions carried biological samples, including moss. Albert II in a U.S. launched V2 became the first monkey in space on June 14, 1949 (after the failure of the original Albert's mission). Albert II died on impact after a parachute failure. Numerous monkeys of several species were flown by the U.S. in the 1950s and 60s. Monkeys were implanted with sensors to measure vital signs, and many were under anesthesia during launch. The first animal in space was a Russian dog called Laika. Check out this website. http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/space_level2/laika.html Clarification. Be aware as you read the earlier answers that there are different definitions of "in space." As noted, Laika the Russian dog was the first animal in orbit. The generally accepted definition of the boundary between earth's atmosphere and "space" is 100 km (62 mi.) altitude. Thus, the first "Albert," who flew on a V2 on June 11, 1948 did not fly into space, reaching an altitude of 63 km (38 mi.). Albert II flew into space on June 14, 1949, reaching an altitude of 134 km (83 mi.). Also, it is not clear from commonly available sources whether the 1946 fruit flies reached space or not.

First answer by Erikb42. Last edit by Bornstn. Contributor trust: 95 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 112 [recommend question]