Which was the third dog sent into space? - briefly
The third dog sent into space was named Dezik. This mission, part of the Soviet space program, took place on July 22, 1951.
Which was the third dog sent into space? - in detail
The exploration of space in the mid-20th century involved various experimental subjects, including dogs. These canine astronauts were instrumental in paving the way for human spaceflight by providing critical data on the effects of space travel on living organisms. The third dog sent into space was a female dog named Dezik. Dezik's mission was part of the Soviet space program's efforts to understand the feasibility of space travel for humans.
Dezik was launched into space on July 22, 1951, aboard the R-1 IIIA-1 rocket. This mission was significant because it followed the successful launch of the first two dogs, Tsygan and Dezik, who were sent on a suborbital flight on July 22, 1951. The primary objective of these missions was to test the viability of space travel for living beings, focusing on the effects of high-altitude and space conditions on the dogs' physiology. Dezik's mission was particularly notable because it was one of the first attempts to send a dog into space and retrieve it safely.
The Soviet space program carefully selected dogs for these missions, preferring strays from the streets of Moscow. These dogs were chosen for their small size, which made them suitable for the limited space available in the early spacecraft. Additionally, stray dogs were believed to be more resilient and better adapted to harsh conditions, making them ideal candidates for these pioneering missions.
Dezik's flight was a suborbital mission, meaning it did not achieve a full orbit around the Earth. Instead, the rocket carried Dezik to an altitude of about 100 kilometers before returning to Earth. This type of mission was crucial for gathering data on the effects of weightlessness, radiation, and other space-related factors on living organisms. The successful recovery of Dezik provided valuable information that contributed to the development of future space missions.
The data collected from Dezik's mission, along with the subsequent missions involving other dogs, laid the groundwork for the historic flight of Laika, the first dog to orbit the Earth aboard Sputnik 2 in November 1957. Laika's mission, although ultimately fatal for the dog, provided critical insights into the long-term effects of space travel on living beings. The legacy of these early canine astronauts, including Dezik, is a testament to their contribution to the advancement of space exploration and the eventual success of human spaceflight.