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Lajka - first Dog in space
Sep 11, 2006


Laika is the first acknowledged living creature to have orbited space. A good-natured mongrel stray of calm disposition from the streets of Moscow, there is much speculation regarding Laika's ancestry. Some reports describe her as a Husky-mix or Samoyed-mix, almost certainly with strains of Spitz and Terrier in her bloodline, and it has even been suggested that one of her parents may have been a Beagle. Laika was probably around three years old when she was launched from Earth in Sputnik-2 on November 3, 1957. She was one of three dogs trained for the flight, the other two being named Albina and Mushka. Albina flew twice on a high-altitude test rocket, while Mushka was used to test instrumentation and life support. Laika weighed approximately 13 lbs. and her initial given name was Kudryavka ("Little Curly") but she was also nicknamed Zhuchka ("Little Bug") and Limonchik ("Lemon"). "Laika" is the Russian word for "barker" and was used to describe all Spitz-type dogs prior to the Nineteenth Century. Still, most of the world just called her "Muttnik." Her pressurized cabin within the spacecraft resembled an elongated ellipsoidal nest. The high walls were covered with soft padded material and there were intricate life support instruments positioned everywhere. Laika was secured in place with a special harness and had access to both water and food (a special high-nutrition gel) during the flight.


:Laika-in-sputnik2.jpg">
Lajka kutya a Szputnyik-2-ben
 
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Lajka in  Szputnyik-

An Internet memorial to Laika


First dog in space died within hours

ABOUT LAIKA:

The dog Laika, the first living creature to orbit the Earth, did not live nearly as long as Soviet officials led the world to believe.

The animal, launched on a one-way trip on board Sputnik 2 in November 1957, was said to have died painlessly in orbit about a week after blast-off.

Now, it has been revealed she died from overheating and panic just a few hours after the mission started.

The new evidence was presented at the recent World Space Congress in Houston, Texas, US, by Dimitri Malashenkov of the Institute for Biological Problems in Moscow.

Noted space historian Sven Grahn told BBC News Online that the new information was surprising and significant as it ended more than 40 years of speculation about Laika's fate.

Space pioneer

Laika's mission on board Sputnik 2 stunned the world. Sputnik 1, the world's first satellite, had been launched less than one month before.

TV image of Laika from the capsule, courtesy Alexander Chernov
Laika had been a stray
It was a metal sphere weighing about 18 kg (40 lbs) and was far heavier than anything the United States was contemplating launching.

An astonished world witnessed the launch of Sputnik 2 weighing 113 kg (250 lbs) and carrying the first living thing to go into orbit - the dog Laika.

The animal had been a stray wandering the streets of Moscow when she was captured and prepared for a space mission.

Shortly after launch the Soviets said that Laika was not destined to return alive and would die in space. The statement caused outrage to many observers.

Racing pulse

Dr Malashenkov has now revealed several new details about Laika's mission, such as her food being in jelly form and that she was chained to prevent her turning around.

There was a carbon dioxide absorbing device in the cabin to prevent the accumulation of this toxic gas, as well as an oxygen generator.

A fan was automatically activated to keep the dog cool when the capsule's temperature exceeded 15 deg Celsius.

According to Dr Malashenkov, a great deal of work had to be done to adapt a group of dogs to the conditions in the tight cabin of Sputnik 2. They were kept in gradually smaller cages for periods up to 15-20 days.

Three dogs were trained for the Sputnik 2 flight: Albina, Laika and Mushka. Albina was the first "backup", having flown twice on a high-altitude rocket. Mushka was used to test instrumentation and life support.

Death in space

Medical sensors placed on Laika indicated that during launch her pulse rate went up by a factor of three above its resting level.

At the start of weightlessness, her pulse rate decreased. It took three times longer than after a centrifuge ride on the ground to return Laika's heartbeat to pre-launch values, an indication of the stress she was suffering.

Dr Malashenkov also revealed how Laika died. Telemetry from the Sputnik 2 capsule showed that the temperature and humidity increased after the start of the mission.

After five to seven hours into the flight, no lifesigns were being received from Laika. By the fourth orbit it was apparent that Laika had died from overheating and stress.

Previously, it has been thought that Laika survived at least four days in space and perhaps even a week when Sputnik's transmitters failed.

Despite surviving for just a few hours, Laika's place in space history is assured and the information she provided proved that a living organism could tolerate a long time in weightlessness and paved the way for humans in space.

Laika's "coffin" circled the Earth 2,570 times and burned up in the Earth's atmosphere on 4 April 1958.



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Posted: Monday September 11, 2006, 12:25 pm
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Frances S. (39) 		Monday September 11, 2006, 12:41 pm
R.I.P Laika. Poor little soul. How many others are there that we don't know about ?

JeZa Shobo (295) 		Monday September 11, 2006, 1:00 pm
Yes Frances,
after Laika there were 2 more..in space- that we know of,(that THEY told us 4)

and if U think about testing on animals--- list would go on an on and on and on and on.......

Simone D. (929) 		Monday September 11, 2006, 2:08 pm
Poor dear Laika, another soul sacrificed for nothing.

Simone D. (929) 		Monday September 11, 2006, 2:12 pm
Poor sweetheart, and it makes my blood boil, she would have thought she was finally with people that cared and a good home for her-no just used for experimentation like her life was worth nothing. All the animals sacrificed like their lives are nothing, and is still goes on now every day, every minute.

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