Laika, a Russian female dog, was the first living creature to orbit the earth on board Sputnik 2. The stray husky-mix dog was found on the streets of Moscow at the age of about three. One source listed Laika as being mostly Siberian husky; while, another source described her as being fox terrier. Her name, Laika, is Russian for "barker;" and, the dog was also named Kudryavka, which means "Little Curly" in Russian. On November 3, 1957, Laika was launched into orbit on board Sputnik 2, the world's second artificial satellite. Russian scientists received data from biomedical sensors attached to Laika. The dog had enough room to lie down, sit, and stand; and, the dog received food from a dispenser. Laika proved that a living creature could survive the accelerations of lift-off as well as prolonged weightlessness. There were conflicting reports as to how long Laika survived during her flight. A recent Russian report said that Laika died after four days in space; but, a more recent Russian report said that Laika probably died after only a few hours in space when the cabin overheated. Recovering Laika from space was impossible; and, her remains burned up when Sputnik 2 reentered the atmosphere after 2570 orbits on April 14, 1958.
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View cenotaph HERE.
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View cenotaph HERE.
Laika, a Russian female dog, was the first living creature to orbit the earth on board Sputnik 2. The stray husky-mix dog was found on the streets of Moscow at the age of about three. One source listed Laika as being mostly Siberian husky; while, another source described her as being fox terrier. Her name, Laika, is Russian for "barker;" and, the dog was also named Kudryavka, which means "Little Curly" in Russian. On November 3, 1957, Laika was launched into orbit on board Sputnik 2, the world's second artificial satellite. Russian scientists received data from biomedical sensors attached to Laika. The dog had enough room to lie down, sit, and stand; and, the dog received food from a dispenser. Laika proved that a living creature could survive the accelerations of lift-off as well as prolonged weightlessness. There were conflicting reports as to how long Laika survived during her flight. A recent Russian report said that Laika died after four days in space; but, a more recent Russian report said that Laika probably died after only a few hours in space when the cabin overheated. Recovering Laika from space was impossible; and, her remains burned up when Sputnik 2 reentered the atmosphere after 2570 orbits on April 14, 1958.
~
View cenotaph HERE.
~
View cenotaph HERE.
Bio by: Brian M. Hass
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