The First Astronaut

The first human in space may have been Yuri Gagarin but the first animal in space was Laika, a two year old, mixed breed dog. Laika was a stray dog from the streets of Moscow and she was brought into the Soviet Spaceflight program. Laika was only one of the many stray dogs that were brought into the program to be tested on. Leading up to the launch date, Laika would be prepared for the new environment she would face during her journey in the pod. She was familiarized with small spaces, taught to eat jelly food and was spun in a centrifuge. On November 3, 1957, Laika was launched on board the Sputnik 2. The announcement of her launch was extremely popular but the truth about what happened to Laika was falsely told for years. For years, the public was told that she survived 5-7 days and was fed poisonous food before her oxygen supply would run out. The program made it seem like their goal was to keep Laika alive but that was not the case. In 2002, the truth was revealed, the Soviets were aware Laika was never going to be able to survive the journey and sent her to space anyways due to political pressure. Laika was only able to survive 5-7 hours due to the intense heat and panic she suffered from. Her pulse rate was measured during launch and it nearly tripled during take off. The Soviets were completely aware they didn’t create a safe and life-supported shuttle for Laika but still decided to launch her into space. The political goals of a country came at the cost of Laika’s life and the truth about her passing was hid from the public. In 2008, a monument of Laika was put in Moscow. Laika’s life will always be remembered and respected.