The competition between the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, intensified. At the height of the Cold War, apart from the ideologies they were fighting for, the two countries also competed when it came to space exploration. This is called the Space Race. The Soviet Union and America have been sending animals into space since 1947 due to their intensifying competition and Space War. And in 1957, the Russians successfully sent the dog Laika into space.
Laika, approximately two (2) years old and a mixed-breed, was just one of the dogs rescued from the streets of Moscow, Russia. He was taken, along with other dogs from an animal shelter, to be studied and sent to space. Only female dogs were selected for the experiment because compared to male dogs, they were smaller and easier to teach. Street dogs were also chosen because they believed they could withstand extreme conditions such as hunger and cold temperatures. Dogs are tested for their obedience, and even for their reactions to changes in wind pressure and noise that they may experience during liftoff. Dogs were also rounded to a centrifuge to determine their reaction to the change in gravity and were also taught to eat foods in the form of jelly, which is better for weightlessness in space. Sanitation devices are also installed in dogs for their urination and bowel movements.
In the study of dogs, Kudryavka (Little Curly) and Albina (White) dominated. Kudryavka will be sent to space, while Albina will be the backup. Albina's talent is said to be more dominant, but Kudryavka was chosen to be sent into space because Albina was just born, and the keepers chose to take care of Albina. The two dogs were formally introduced to the public on the radio. Kudryavka used to bark, so he was better known by the name "Laika" all over the world, the Russian word for "bark".
Laika was fitted with medical devices to find out her heartbeat, breathing rate, and blood pressure as she traveled into space. And on November 3, 1957, Sputnik 2 successfully launched with the dog Laika. Laika successfully orbits the earth's orbit in 103 minutes.
The Russians hid Laika's true condition in space. According to reports released by them, Laika survived for several days after launching Sputnik 2. The dog allegedly died after nine (9) days from the launch after being euthanized with poisoned food and running out of oxygen. Sputnik 2 lasted in space and was destroyed after entering the atmosphere of our planet on April 14, 1958.
Contrary to reports released by the Soviet Union in 1957, in 1993, Russian doctor and space dog trainer Oleg Gazenko confirmed that Laika did not last a few days in space, and died just a few hours after the launch of Sputnik 2. Overheating was the real cause of Laika's death after the temperature in Sputnik reached over 90 degrees.
In 2002, Russian scientist Dimitri Malashenkov refuted the Soviet Union reports on Laika in 1957. He said Laika lived only 5 to 7 hours after the liftoff of Sputnik 2, and died of overheating, contrary to the oxygen deprivation report. MMalashenkoalso said that Laika was so scared of the noise and pressure generated by the launch that her heartbeat accelerated three times (3x), and the dog's breathing rate accelerated four (4x) times.
In honor of Laika, a monument was erected for him in 2008 at a military research facility in Moscow, Russia.
Fear, hunger, intense pressure, and heat, those are just some of the bitter experiences of Laika's dog. He devoted his life to space exploration and the world of science. Laika is just one of the hundreds of stories of heroic deeds exhibited by animals for the world of study for our common good.
A tribute to the hero dog Laika from DeeperThanWeb
Source and Reference
[1] Dohrer, Elizabeth (2017), Laika the Dog & the First Animals in Space
(Retrieved from https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.space.com/amp/17764-laika-first-animals-in-space.html)
[2] George, Alice (April 18, 2018), The Sad, Sad Story of Laika, the Space Dog, and Her One-Way Trip into Orbit
(Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/sad-story-laika-space-dog-and-her-one-way-trip-orbit-1-180968728/)
[3] Lewis, Robert, Laika
(Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Laika)
[4] O'Neill, Ian (April 18, 2008), Russian Memorial for Space Dog Laika (Update)
(Retrieved from https://www.universetoday.com/13606/russian-memorial-for-space-dog-laika/)
nice article sir...