Laxatives did not improve their condition, only long periods of training could. The extensive close confinement caused them to stop urinating or defecating, making them restless, and causing their general condition to deteriorate. To adapt the dogs to the confines of the tiny cabin of Sputnik 2, they were kept in progressively smaller cages for periods up to 15 to 20 days. Albina flew twice on a high-altitude test rocket while Mushka was used to test instrumentation and life support. Laika was selected and trained by the Russian space-life scientist Oleg Gazenko. Three dogs were trained for the Sputnik 2 flight: Albina, Mushka and Laika. The Soviet Union and the United States had previously sent animals only on sub-orbital flights. Consequently, the temperature in the cabin rose to 40☌ (104☏). Some of the thermal insulation also tore loose. Aside from the primary mission of sending a living passenger into space, Sputnik 2 also contained instrumentation for measuring solar radiation and cosmic rays.Īfter reaching orbit the nose cone was jettisoned successfully but the "Blok A" core did not separate as planned, preventing the thermal control system from operating correctly. Sputnik 2, therefore, was something of a rushed job, with most elements of the space craft being constructed from rough sketches. According to Russian sources, the official decision to launch Sputnik 2 was made on October 10 or 12, leaving the team only 4 weeks to design and build the space craft. In order to meet the November deadline, a new, less sophisticated design had to be built. ![]() This satellite would later become Sputnik 3. There was a much more sophisticated satellite already under construction, but it would not be ready until December. It paved the way for human spaceflight, and provided scientists with some of the first data on how living organisms react to spaceflight environments.Ī model of Sputnik 2, Laika's space vehicle.Īfter the success of Sputnik 1, Nikita Khrushchev, the president of the Soviet Union, wanted a second spacecraft launched on November 7, the 40th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. Russian officials have since expressed regret for allowing Laika to die.Īlthough Laika did not survive the trip, the experiment proved that a living passenger could survive being launched into orbit and endure weightlessness. Her true cause of death was not made public until years after the flight, with officials stating that she was either euthanized by poisoned food or died when the oxygen ran out. Laika died a few hours after launch from stress and overheating. The American press dubbed her Muttnik (a portmanteau of mutt and Sputnik). Her name was changed from Kudryavka ( Russian for "Little Curly"), and she was also nicknamed Zhuchka ("Little Bug") and Limonchik ("Lemon"). "Laika" is in fact the Russian name for several breeds of dogs similar to the husky. She was found as a stray wandering the streets of Moscow, a female mongrel dog, part- Samoyed terrier weighing approximately 6 kg (13 lb) and about 3 years old. ![]() As of March, 2023 Laika is the only animal sent into orbit with no intention of retrieval. Like many other animals in space, she died during the mission, though earlier than intended. She was launched into space on Sputnik 2, a Soviet spacecraft, on November 4, 1957. Laika ( Cyrillic: Лайка, "Barker") was one of the Russian space dogs and the first living passenger to enter orbit. Laika, shown here in a harness, died from stress and overheating several hours after being launched into space.
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