In 1958, a mouse nicknamed Minnie Mouse was sent to space by the United States Air Force under the first Mouse-in-Able (MIA-1) mission aboard a two-stage Thor-Able rocket but the animal didn't survive the flight

In 1958, a mouse nicknamed Minnie Mouse was sent to space by the United States Air Force under the first Mouse-in-Able (MIA-1) mission aboard a two-stage Thor-Able rocket but the animal didn't survive the flight. The mission was launched on April 23 from Cape Canaveral to study how a living mammal could respond to launch acceleration, zero gravity and atmospheric reentry.