Alexis Madrigal writes: "The Soviet Zond 5 sent the animals around the moon -- although not into lunar orbit -- during a mission in the middle of September, 1968. The unmanned craft then returned to Earth and splashed down in the Indian Ocean, after which the Russians recovered the craft." The turtles were fine.

  • Donald Petersen

    Now I know why that red-eared slider in my kid’s preschool classroom always looks so goddamned smug.

  • Bevatron Repairman

    Turtles, more turtles, I’ll stack ‘em to heaven!  I need ’bout three thousand six hundred and seven!

    • http://www.facebook.com/dave.maclachlan.3 Dave MacLachlan

      Yertle the Turtle! Dr. Seuss rocks!

  • http://www.facebook.com/dave.maclachlan.3 Dave MacLachlan

    Fastest. Turtles. Ever.

  • http://twitter.com/sirkowski Sirkowski

    In Soviet Russia, turtle jumped over the Moon.

  • Rich Keller

    In Soviet Russia, it’s turtles all the way up?

  • http://www.nothinginside.net mindysan33

     A tortoise of the people! 

  • pupdog

    They didn’t come into contact with any radioactive goo did they? Or was that just something Eastman and Laird made up to cover up the cosmic-ray exposure angle?

  • Wreckrob8

    Heroes of the Soviet Union. I hope they got their medals.

    • fuzzyfuzzyfungus

      No medals; but they were entitled to expropriate as much lettuce from the kulaks as they wished.

  • Al_Packer

    Shortly thereafter, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles appeared.  I knew that that program was a Communist conspiracy.

  • fuzzyfuzzyfungus

    Unfortunately, the turtle/human language barrier will ensure that the story of their epic battle with the space nazis will remain forever lost to us.

    • Wreckrob8

      Surely there is no language barrier, versed in the universal language of Marxism Leninism as any good Communist turtle must be. Obviously there is an imperialist plot to discredit and suppress the achievements of socialism on behalf of the masses against the forces of cosmic aggression.

  • http://www.tavie.com Tavie

    I am a proud turtle owner this evening.

  • http://profiles.google.com/gtbear gt bear

    commie turtles from space. they’d be 44 at least by now, depending on the kind of turtle. calls for a screenplay.