(WWJ) – There are a lot of important space milestones and space achievements we remember, but on this day 59 years ago something happened you may not know about.
The French sent a cat to space on Oct. 18, 1963.
Yes, a cat. While dogs, primates and humans were being sent to space by the U.S. and Soviet Union, France joined the space race by sending Félicette, the first – and only – “catstronaut” to the edge of space.
On a new edition of “All Over the Space,” WWJ’s Erin Vee caught Mike Murray of the Delta College Planetarium off guard by teaching him something he didn’t know about space.
“Early space programs did send up animals, but I was not aware of the cat. That’s a good one,” Murray said.
Also on this episode they talked about one of Michigan’s space heroes – James McDivitt, who died last week at the age of 93. McDivitt grew up in Kalamazoo and went on to work in both the Gemini and Apollo programs.
“He didn’t walk on the moon, but he was instrumental in helping to test a lot of the spacecraft that did go to the moon,” Murray said.
Murray also explains on this episode the upcoming show in the sky – the Orionid meteor showers, which are expected to peak on Friday.
More information on the Delta College Planetarium in Bay City can be found online. Follow the planetarium on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and updates.
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