Although the story of Laika is a poignant one, it is also a tale of remarkable achievement. As the first living being to orbit the Earth, she etched her name in history. Even after her passing and the fiery end of the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 that carried her, Laika’s legacy continues to captivate popular culture, ensuring that her pioneering spirit lives on six decades after that fateful mission.
Soviet engineers hastily developed Sputnik 2 following Premier Nikita Khrushchev’s request for a flight to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Russia’s Bolshevik Revolution on November 7, 1957. Drawing from their experience with Sputnik 1, teams worked swiftly and often without blueprints to construct a spacecraft that could accommodate a flying dog in a pressurized compartment.
While Sputnik 1 had already made history as the first man-made object in Earth orbit on October 4, 1957, Sputnik 2 was designed to carry a significantly heavier payload, six times that of its predecessor, with the belief that feeding the passenger only once would keep the weight within limits.Laika, the chosen space dog, was expected to succumb to oxygen deprivation within seconds after seven days in space.
Despite doubts from experts like Cathleen Lewis regarding the impact of feeding Laika before liftoff, the canine cosmonaut underwent rigorous testing alongside other female stray dogs to assess their suitability for space travel.
Ultimately, Laika, initially known as Kudryavka or “Little Curly,” was selected as Sputnik 2’s primary passenger, while Albina served as backup. Laika’s journey into orbit on November 3 was marked by intense fear and physical distress due to the spacecraft’s conditions.
Tragically, she perished shortly after launch due to rising temperatures inside the capsule.The Soviet Union initially misled the public about Laika’s survival, claiming she lived for several days post-launch when in reality she passed away soon after entering orbit. Despite the ethical concerns surrounding Laika’s mission and her untimely demise, her story remains a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made in early space exploration endeavors.
Three days before the planned liftoff, Laika was placed in her confined travel space, allowing only minimal movement. Prepared with sensors, a sanitation device, and a spacesuit equipped with metal restraints, she experienced the intense launch on November 3 at 5:30 a.m., enduring G-forces five times higher than normal gravity levels. The journey into orbit was a harrowing experience for Laika, as the noises and pressures of flight caused her heart rate to triple and her breathing rate to quadruple.
Despite these challenges, she successfully reached orbit, circling the Earth in approximately 103 minutes.Tragically, the unexpected loss of the heat shield led to a rise in temperature within the capsule, ultimately leading to Laika’s demise shortly after launch. Russian medical doctor and space dog trainer Oleg Gazenko revealed in 1993 that Laika passed away due to overheating, with temperatures inside the spacecraft exceeding 90 degrees after the fourth orbit. The National Air and Space Museum curator Cathleen Lewis noted that there was little hope for Laika’s survival beyond one or two orbits following this temperature spike. Despite Laika’s untimely death, Sputnik 2 continued to orbit for five months without its brave canine passenger.
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