Thank you for your participation in my success (Félicette)

Félicette was the first cat that was sent to space - by French scientists in 1963. She was a stray and is the only cat that ever came back from space alive. She was chosen out of 20 cats that began training with her for her calm personality and because she didn’t gain much weight in training. After her return, several tests were conducted before she was killed so that her brain could be examined. Apparently, nothing world-shaking was found. After her success and death, she was misremembered as Félix, the (male) cat in space. Even commemorative stamps of ‘Félix’ were printed. It took decades until this injustice was corrected. In 2020 finally a statue to remember Félicette was unveiled in France. This is how I envisioned it when I read about it.