Laika's journey into earth's orbit was a landmark moment in human history. This became evidence that we can reach the stars without fear of perishing in the atmosphere. Triumph? Without a doubt. A technological breakthrough that determined the vector of development of the entire space industry for many years. But why has the world met this technical breakthrough with such sadness? Read the story of the loneliest and saddest dog in the world, who was destined to open the endless road to the stars for humanity.
Victim selection
It is interesting that the USSR and the USA chose completely different types of animals for the first experimental flights into space. The Soviets opted for dogs, while America opted for the more human-like chimpanzees.
Lot
The dogs were selected from a kennel for stray animals. There were three main applicants: Albina (they took pity on her, because the dog was about to give birth), Fly (the photographers did not like the curvature of the paws) and Laika. The last one before the flight was installed special breathing sensors on the ribs and a pulse sensor near the carotid artery.
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Equipment
Laika trained like a real cosmonaut at Baikonur. The dog even had its own spacesuit, attached with special cables to the walls of the container. Just before the flight, Laika was seated in a sealed chamber and installed on a rocket: the first dog was ready to fly into space.
Go
Sputnik-2 was launched on November 3, 1957. Laika lasted four turns around the planet. The engineers did not foresee the satellite's thermoregulation and the temperature rose to 40 degrees Celsius. The dog died from overheating, and the satellite made another two hundred revolutions around the Earth and burned up in the atmosphere.
Sensation
I must say that due to some strange coincidence of circumstances, the native press could not assess the full significance of the event. TASS announced the launch of Sputnik-2 on the same day, giving information about the presence of a dog on board only at the end of the note. But for the Western press, the sensation was appreciated: articles on the first living creature in space appeared in all American magazines.
Dead news
Soviet news sources transmitted data on the dog's health for seven days after her death. Then the people were informed about the "planned" lulling of the astronaut, which unexpectedly caused a flurry of criticism - no one warned that Laika would not return to Earth.
The shagiest, loneliest, most miserable dog in the world - The New York Times
The right victim
This experiment was necessary for the further development of the space industry. Scientists realized that a living creature is able to at least survive the launch into orbit and not die in zero gravity. Already the second travelers, Belka and Strelka, returned safely to Earth.