Top 10 animal astronauts in space
- By Lin Liyao
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E-mail China.org.cn, November 22, 2011
Fish
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Mummichogs were the first kind of fish in space. |
Year: 1973, 1976, 2008
Country: the United States, the Soviet Union, Germany
The mummichog was the first fish in space. This hardy aquatic specimen is often used for research because of its ability to survive in extreme conditions. In 1973, a pair of mummichogs accompanied NASA's Skylab 3 mission to provide more information about the otolith organ.
On June 22, 1976, the Soviet Salyut 5 was launched into space, carrying two cosmonauts, tortoises and a zebra danio (zebra fish).
In 2008, Germany became the latest country to send fish astronauts into space. Seventy-two thumb-sized cichlids were launched in an unmanned rocket and were filmed as they swam around weightlessly in small aquariums during the 10-minute space flight.
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