Bubbles the Space Cat and the Test Dummy Dog

I’m going to venture a little far afield today, though still decidedly within the realm of “strange behaviors.”

These are more photos I pulled out of my Dad’s files for a story he wrote about space travel in the late 1950s.  I’ll do the animal photos first.  Will follow with some photos of human space program folk later, or tomorrow, as I get the chance.

Since space monkeys hog all the attention, let’s start with a cat and a dog.

I’m posting the captions from the U.S. Air Force below each photo.  I get the impression the cat probably did not have finally approval over use of the word “merrily” in this one:

On the other hand, this unnamed dog gives off a decided “Put me in, coach” aura of readiness for launch.

Is this where the Mercury 7 learned that stoic, straight-ahead gaze of imperturbability?

More to come.