Animals in space On 18 October 1963, France launched Félicette the cat aboard Veronique AGI sounding rocket No. 47. The launch was directed by the French Centre d'Enseignement et de Recherches de Médecine Aéronautique (CERMA). Félicette was recovered alive after a 15-minute flight and a descent by parachute. Félicette had electrodes implanted into her brain, and the recorded neural impulses were transmitted back to Earth. A second cat was sent to space by CERMA on 24 October 1963, but the flight ran into difficulties that prevented recovery. The final French animal launches were of two monkeys in March 1967. China launched mice and
Miss Earth Japan Japan was first represented in Miss Earth 2001 by Misuzu Hirayama, who was the first titleholder of Miss Earth Japan and won the Miss Friendship special award. In 2010, Japan first entered both in the semifinal and final round of the Miss Earth pageant, where Marina Kishira finished in the top 7 and won the Best in National Costume award in Miss Earth 2010. The winner of Miss Earth Japan (MEJ) represents her country at Miss Earth. On occasion, when the winner does not qualify (due to age) for either contest, a runner-up is sent. The following are the names