Laika is the leader of the StratosFur space program. Named after the first dog in space, Laika’s goal is to lead her team through the stars, exploring space one planet at a time! She’s a team player and works hard for the crew, making sure all is well.
Trivia: Laika is trans female, and has a Russian background, just like the original Laika. The original Laika was a stray dog found on the streets of Moscow. While she was the first dog in space, unfortunately her trip was a one way ticket. That’s not the case for our Laika, who will step out further past earth’s orbit to explore the galaxies in the name of fur kind.
Félicette is the navigations expert and first cat in space. Similar to Laika, Félicette was also a stray, however she was found on the streets of Paris. She was one of fourteen cats trained for space flight, and out of all of them she was picked for the task.
Trivia: Félicette’s jumpsuit has the code C 341, which was the original name of Félicette. They didn’t want to grow attached so they didn’t name the cats being trained, however Félicette won their hearts and public approval, and was named after Felix the Cat. She is French coded and the orange flower in her hair is an orange zinnia, which is the first flower launched into space (a homage to Star Trek, which featured the flower in their series).
Ham is the main engineer of Laika’s crew, named after the first chimpanzee in space. He was part of Project Mercury, and his name is an acronym of the Holloman Aerospace Medical Center, the place where he was trained. Ham worked under a lot of pressure and stress but was able to manage the tasks on his flight, what a trooper!
Trivia: Ham’s jumpsuit number is No. 65, which was the name he had before he was chosen for his flight. Ham is American coded as he was trained and launched from the states.
Last but not least, we have No. 12 and No. 18. Not much is known about the twins; records show they are of Russian descent similar to Laika, but were not given names at launch. They represent the first two rats sent into space. They’re in charge of researching the flora and fauna of the planets, No. 12 handling the flora, and No. 18 the fauna.
Trivia: No. 12 and No. 18 are both nonbinary twins and are minors, to represent the large minor community in the furry fandom. This fandom is a safe space for furs of all ages, just like our convention!
