Memorializing the Only Cat That's Been to Space

Be honest, did you even know that a cat had been to outer space? And that the French were responsible? I didn't. Frankly, I and most other people probably hadn't given it any thought. But someone out there has, and they want to set up a memorial in Paris to Felicette, a stray cat found in Paris who was launched into space on October 18, 1963, and returned home safely.

You may think that a memorial to a cat may be a bit silly, even for one that went into outer space. But consider this, Laika the dog has a bronze memorial at the site where Russia trains its astronauts as well as a spot on the Monument to the Conquerors of Space in Moscow. Ham the chimpanzee (the first hominid to fly in space) is buried at the International Space Hall of Fame. A nice little memorial in Paris for the first and only cat to fly in space probably isn't too much to ask for. There's a donation page for it, which runs until November 17th.