Animals were first sent into space to test if humans would survive in space. Later on they were sent to investigate the effects space travel had on them. The first animals to be sent into space were fruit flies to explore the effects of radiation exposure.
In 1949 the US sent a monkey into space but unfortunately it died on impact due to parachute failure. Many more monkeys were sent to space after that.
In 1950 the US launched a mouse into space.
In 1951 to Soviet Union sent a dog into space but not orbit.
The first animal in orbit was the Soviet dog called Lakia in 1957. Unfortunately the dog died during the flight. Many more dogs were launched into orbit before the first human entered space.
In 1958 the US sent a South American squirrel monkey called ‘Gordo’ into space.
On January 31, 1961 Ham the chimp was launched into orbit. It was trained to pull levers and get rewards of banana pellets.
The Soviet Union were the first to launch guinea pigs and frogs into space in 1961.
France put the first rat in space in 1961 and a cat in 1963.
The first tortoise in space was launched in September 14 1968 by the Soviet Union.
The US sent to first fish into space and the first spiders in 1972.
In the 1990's the US carried crickets, mice, rats, frogs, newts, fruit flies, snails, carp, sea urchins and many more animals and insects on their spacecraft.