Laika

Laika (Russian: Лайка - laiKA) was a Siberian Husky-Terrier mix that was the first animal to ever go to space. Laika was launched by the Soviet Union into space using the Sputnik II. Laika was the first animal to orbit the Earth.

Street Life[edit]

Laika was originally picked up on the streets of Moscow, along with multiple other stray dogs. The way Laika ended up on the streets is uncertain. She spent most of her time scavenging for food and begging for food from local vendors in Moscow. She was eventually captured by animal control, after evading them multiple times. While in the shelter, Laika and a few other dogs were selected for space training by a representative of Roscosmos, the Russian space program.

Training[edit]

Laika was not easy to work with. She bit some of the trainers and had a tendency to try to run away constantly. But, Laika was much better than most of the other dogs that were in training with her. Eventually, she was chosen to be the dog that would be sent into space on Sputnik II.

Political Implications of Sputnik II[edit]

After Sputnik I successfully launched into space, Nikita Khrushchev wanted to launch another spacecraft on November 7th 1957, as that was the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution. He believed that launching the first animal into space on that anniversary would be a huge win for him on the political stage, and might even convince more countries to join the Soviet Union, because the United States was lagging behind in the space race. The Russians had been working on a more sophisticated satellite, but it would not be ready soon enough. This satellite would later be known as Sputnik III.

Death[edit]

Laika was unconscious for most of the initial launch, which is to be expected. Once in orbit, Laika survived inside her capsule (with food and water dispensed regularly) for about two days before she died of heat exhaustion.

Purpose[edit]

The main purpose of Laika's flight to space was to study the effects of space on a living organism.

Controversy[edit]

Many animal rights organizations believe that it was unethical for the Soviet Union to let Laika die, as the Soviets did not expect her to come back from the mission.