What happened to the Laika dog? - briefly
Laika, a stray dog from Moscow, was the first living being to orbit Earth aboard Sputnik 2 in November 1957. She died within hours of launch due to overheating and stress.
What happened to the Laika dog? - in detail
Laika, the first dog to orbit Earth, was a Soviet space dog who became an iconic symbol of the Space Race in the late 1950s. Her mission, Sputnik 2, launched on November 3, 1957, just four years after the beginning of the Space Age with the launch of Sputnik 1. Laika was chosen from a group of three strays due to her calm demeanor and ability to tolerate confinement. The primary goal of the mission was to study the behavior and survival of a living organism in space, paving the way for future human spaceflight.
Laika's spacecraft was designed with insulation to protect her from extreme temperatures and provided food and water for her journey. However, due to technical malfunctions, the spacecraft overheated, and Laika died several hours into her flight. Despite this tragic outcome, the mission provided valuable data on the effects of space travel on living organisms, including heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration.
The Soviet Union initially reported that Laika had been euthanized to spare her from suffering, but it was later revealed that she died due to overheating. Her remains were cremated upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere five months after launch. A monument dedicated to Laika stands in Moscow, honoring her pioneering spirit and the significant contributions she made to space exploration.