Russia Honors First Dog In Space
Laika the Dog Has Received Her Own Monument in Moscow
Russia recently unveiled a new monument honoring the first dog in space. Laika the dog was the first to successfully orbit the earth before succumbing to heat and stress.
On Friday, April 11th, a monument was unveiled in Russia honoring the first dog and living thing in space. Over 50 years ago, Laika, a 2-year-old dog was launched into space to lead the way to the human space travel that followed. Located in Moscow near a military research facility, the monument depicts a dog standing on top of a rocket.
The Chosen Dogs
Laika was chosen from several stray mutts for the mission. Strays captured from Moscow’s streets were used because it was believed that they would be better able to adapt to harsh conditions. Those selected were also small enough to fit into the tiny, 250-pound capsules designed for their mission.
Once chosen, the dogs began their training process. The dogs were placed into gradually smaller cases for several weeks at a time. Laika was selected only nine days before her flight. Two other dogs, Albina and Mushka, were also chosen as backups. Albina had had experience flying on a high-altitude rocket, and Mushka was used to test the instruments and life support systems. A carbon dioxide absorber and oxygen generator were among these instruments included in the capsule. Some have stated Laika was chosen because of her looks. Others say she was a second choice to the first pick who was taken pity on because the dog would not survive the mission since a re-entry feature had not been developed in time for the launch.
The Mission
Laika went into space on November 3, 1957, just one month after the Soviet Union launched the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, into orbit on October 4th of that year. Laika’s launch on the Sputnik 2 was prolonged three days when technical problems arose. The dog waited in the cabin the entire time, eating specially prepared food in jelly form and suffering through cold temperatures. She was chained to prevent her from turning around, and a fan was placed in the cabin to come on to cool the dog when temperatures reached over 15 degrees Celsius. Once in orbit, Laika’s heartbeat and blood pressure were read as normal after jumping during the launch.
Laika's Death
It was believed that Laika was euthanized after a week with a programmed injection. However, it was revealed years later that she died of overheating and panic a few hours after reaching orbit. This information was revealed in 2002 at the World Space Congress in Houston, Texas, confirming years of speculation about the dog’s death.
As she became weightless, Laika’s pulse rate decreased and took three times longer than normal to return to its normal rate. As the temperature and humidity increased in the capsule, Laika’s vitals decreased, and she is believed to have died within five to seven hours and four orbits into her mission. The capsule is said to have circled the earth 2,570 times before burning up into the earth’s atmosphere on April 4, 1958.
Making History
Despite its tragic ending, the mission was still considered a success, especially after several other dogs died before reaching orbit. After Laika, two dogs named Belka and Strelka orbited and returned safely to earth in August 1960. A year later, the world’s first human, Yuri Gagarin, was successfully launched into space on April 12, 1961.
