Laika, the first animal in space

Laika, the first animal in space, was launched aboard Sputnik 3, November 3, 1957.  Laika proved that humans could survive the launch process but the Soviets had not devised a return to Earth and recovery method (did they care?) so Laika died in orbit.

The adorable little mongrel was found wandering the streets of Moscow so  Soviet scientists figured she had already experienced extreme cold and hunger.  (I suppose they did care. A little.)  Laida has been described as 'quiet and charming'.  Of course, she was.  She  thought she had been rescued  from the streets, not knowing she was going to be sacrificed to science.

The description "quiet and charming" has not been written about the second of her kind in space, Valentina Tereshkova.  Read James Oberg's "Red Star in Orbit" about the Soviet space program, for some fascinating and funny facts about Val.  A hero, she ain't.

Torturing Training, as the Soviets dubbed it, was inhumane.  Laika was expected to survive for several days, with water and a special diet provided.  She had a harness in the capsule that limited her to standing, sitting or lying down.  She could not turn around.


When Sputnik 3 achieved orbit, some of the thermal insulation  was torn away when the nose  cone jettisoned.  This prevented the thermal control system from operating  properly.  The  temperature in the spacecraft rose to 104° F.  Five to seven hours into the flight, no life signs  were detected from the capsule.

 

A monument to Laika, unveiled in 2008, more than fifty years after her death.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika