The Economic Times

In 1968, two Afghan tortoises who beat humans to the Moon lost 10% of their weight - They flew around the moon on Soviet Zond 5 and returned alive 3 months before Apollo 8

In September 1968, two tortoises made history as the first animals to orbit the Moon and safely return to Earth aboard the Soviet Zond 5 spacecraft. Their remarkable journey proved that living beings could endure the harsh conditions of deep-space travel, although they experienced a ten percent body weight loss. This pioneering mission laid the groundwork for human exploration beyond our planet.