The rarely told story of the fruit flies, primates and canines that preceded us in space

Before the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space in 1961, the survivability of unprecedented g-forces and weightlessness was tested on a series of nonhuman animals. First there were fruit flies, which were launched by the US in 1947, followed by a series of rodents, frogs, primates, cats and dogs. Perhaps most famous was a mixed-breed Soviet canine named Laika, who became the first ever animal to orbit Earth in 1957 – and died in space soon after.

In the short documentary The Conquest of Space, the Swedish director Albin Biblom uses archival footage to chronicle the nonhuman animals who paved the way for what many consider to be humans’ greatest accomplishment as a species. In particular, the film highlights the story of the first great ape launched into space in 1961, initially called just ‘Number 65’, but named ‘Ham’ by NASA scientists upon his safe return. Rendered factually and seemingly without judgment, the film makes for a fascinating slice of space exploration history, while hinting at broader truths about human-nonhuman relationships that know no national borders. The film ends with a list of all the nonhuman animals ever sent to space, a reminder that this form of experimentation continues to this day.