The dog astronaut Laika and the one-way flight of no return'

On October 4, 1957, the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 1 (former) made history when it became the first man-made object to orbit the Earth. Following the success of Sputnik 1, engineers rushed to build Sputnik 2 with a pressurized capsule for dogs. The ship with a payload of 508 kg, 6 times heavier than Sputnik 1, will bring the first living organism to orbit the Earth.

Laika dog on a stamp of the emirate of Ajman, now part of the UAE.

Why the Soviet Union chose dogs over Hominoidea animals is not really clear. It is possible that scientist Ivan Pavlov's research on canine physiology in the late 19th - early 20th centuries provided the basis for their use. In addition, wild dogs also appeared a lot on the streets of the Soviet Union - very easy to find.

Selection Process

Soviet experts started the selection mission with female feral dogs because the females were smaller and seemed more docile. The first tests help assess obedience and passivity. Those that make it to the final selection live in small pressurized chambers for days, then weeks.

The doctors also tested their response to changes in air pressure and the loud noises that occur when the spacecraft takes off. They equipped the dogs with a sanitary device that connects to the pelvic area. Dogs don't like the devices and to avoid using them, some retain the waste in their bodies, even after taking a laxative. However, some have adapted.

In the end, the team in charge chose Kudryavka (Little Curly) as Sputnik 2's canine cosmonaut and Albina (White) in reserve. When introduced to the public by radio, Kudryavka barked. The animal later became known as Laika, from the Russian word for "bark". Laika is a husky-spitz hybrid, about 3 years old at the time.

Some rumors suggested that Albina performed better than Laika, but because she had just given birth and won the love of her adopters, she did not have to face the suicide flight. Doctors performed surgery on both dogs, implanting medical devices into their bodies to monitor their heart rate, breathing, blood pressure and body movements.

Sputnik 2, carrying astronaut dog Laika, took off on November 3, 1957.

Space travel "one go, no return"

Three days before the launch, Laika entered an area restricted to only a few inches (1 inch is about 2.5 cm). The animal was then bathed, equipped with sensors, sanitary equipment and put on a space suit.

At 5:30 a.m. on November 3, Sputnik 2 took off. The noise and pressure of the flight made Laika panic: her heart rate increased 3 times and her breathing rate increased 4 times normal. The US National Air and Space Museum still keeps documents showing Laika's breathing process during the flight.

Laika was still alive when it reached orbit and circled the Earth for about 103 minutes. Unfortunately, the loss of the heat shield caused the temperature in the compartment to rise unexpectedly, endangering the animal.

"The temperature inside the spacecraft after the fourth orbit reached over 90 degrees. It's really impossible to expect Laika to make it through another orbit or two," said Cathleen Lewis, head of the space program. international spacesuit and spacesuit at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, said.

With Laika, even with all the equipment on board working properly, with enough food, water and oxygen, it will still die when the Sputnik 2 spacecraft plunges into the atmosphere after about 5 months, completing 2,570 orbits. . However, the flight that promised Laika's inevitable death offers proof that space is habitable.

Laika dog on stamp of Romania, issued in the period 1957 - 1987.

Laika's influence

At the time, interest in animal rights was not as great as it was in the early 21st century, but some also objected to deliberately letting Laika die because the Soviet Union lacked the technology to return it safely to Earth. However, Lewis believes that using animals for experimental spacecraft is essential to preparing for human flight.

"There are things that we can't pinpoint due to the limited experience of high-altitude flight. Scientists really don't know how disoriented people would be during a space trip, or whether astronauts can continue to function normally," Lewis said.

Not long after the flight, the mint in the Soviet Union created an enamel pin bearing the image of Laika to commemorate the "First Passenger in Space". Some allies of the Soviet Union at that time, such as Romania, Albania, and Poland, also issued Laika stamps between 1957 and 1987.

During the Mars rover Opportunity in March 2005, NASA unofficially named a location in the crater on the planet Laika. In 2015, Russia erected a memorial statue of Laika on a rocket at a military research facility in Moscow.

Laika has become part of history as the first living organism to orbit the Earth. Today, the story of the little "pioneering" continues to appear on websites, in videos, poetry and books. In Beastly Natures: Animals, Humans and the Study of History, expert Amy Nelson shares that the Soviet Union made Laika "an enduring symbol of human sacrifice and achievement."