not a muppet

from tfa

In 1963, a cat named Félicette went where none of her feline ancestors had gone before: nearly 100 miles up into the sky. Riding in a container in the nose of a rocket, the slim tuxedo cat soared through the atmosphere, then landed safely back on Earth a quarter of an hour later. Decades after her brief extraterrestrial trip, the cute astrocat is now finally honored with a statue installed in Pioneer Hall at the International Space University near Strasbourg, France.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/felicette-space-cat-memorial

source :

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/felicette-space-cat-memorial