Russia opens monument to space dog
MOSCOW (AP) - April 11, 2008 The small monument is near a military research facility in
Moscow that prepared Laika's flight to space on Nov. 3, 1957. It
features a dog standing on top of a rocket.
Little was known about the impact of space flight on living
things at the time Laika's mission was launched. Some believed they
would be unable to survive the launch or the conditions of outer
space, so Soviet space engineers viewed dogs' flights as a
necessary precursor to human missions.
All dogs used in the Soviet space program were stray mongrel
dogs - doctors believed they were able to adapt quicker to harsh
conditions. All were small so they could fit into the tiny
capsules.
The 2-year-old Laika was chosen for the flight just nine days
before the launch.
Stories about how she was selected varied: Some said Laika was
chosen for her good looks - a Soviet space pioneer had to be
photogenic. Others indicated the top choice for the mission was
dropped because doctors took pity on her: Since there was no way to
design a re-entry vehicle in time for the launch, the flight meant
a certain death.
"Laika was quiet and charming," Dr. Vladimir Yazdovsky wrote
in his book chronicling the story of Soviet space medicine. He
recalled that before heading to the launch pad, he took the dog
home to play with his children. "I wanted to do something nice for
her: She had so little time left to live," Yazdovsky said.
The satellite that carried Laika into orbit was built in less
than one month after the Soviet Union put the world's first
artificial satellite into orbit on Oct. 4, 1957.
Due to last-minute technical problems, Laika had to wait for the
launch in the cabin for three days. Temperatures were low, and
workers heated the cockpit through a hose.
When Laika reached orbit, doctors found with relief that her
heartbeat, which had risen on launch, and her blood pressure were
normal. She ate specially prepared food from a container.
According to official Soviet reports, the dog was euthanized
after a week.
After the Soviet collapse, participants in the project told the
real story: Laika indeed was to be euthanized with a programmed
injection, but she apparently died of overheating after only a few
hours in orbit.
Several other dogs died in failed launches before the successful
space flight - and safe return to Earth - of the dogs Belka and
Strelka in August 1960.
After a few other flights with dogs, the Soviet Union put the
world's first human - Yuri Gagarin - into space on April 12, 1961.