The dog Laika (Russian Лайка, 'barking') was the first live animal in orbit around the Earth. He did it aboard the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2, November 3, 1957, a month after Sputnik 1 was launched into orbit. Like other animals in space, Laika died between five and seven hours after launch, well ahead of schedule. The cause of his death, which was not revealed until decades after the flight (2002), was probably a combination of stress and overheating suffered, perhaps, was caused by a malfunction of the thermal control system of the ship .Although Laika did not survive the journey, his experience showed that it is possible for a support microgravity conditions, thus paving the way for human participation in space flight. After Laika, the USSR sent 12 dogs into space including 5 live come back to Earth. Main article: Sputnik 2 Following the success of Sputnik 1, the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev sought to launch a second artificial satellite into space for the day of the fortieth anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution on 7 November 1957. When you received this request since it was building a sophisticated satellite, but would not be ready until a month after the required date, so it was discarded. The satellite discarded, would be the Sputnik 3.1 It was therefore necessary to build another satellite less complicated in order to meet the November deadline. The decision to launch the satellite was taken on 10 or 12 October, which left the construction team with only four weeks to build the new artefacto.2 The hasty construction of Sputnik 2 was complicated by the fact that this timeintended to carry a living creature inside, only four semanas.3
The ship was equipped with instruments to measure solar radiation and cosmic rays, an oxygen generation system, together with systems to absorb carbon dioxide, and another to prevent oxygen poisoning, also known as the effect of Paul Bert. Added a fan operated when the house temperature exceeded 15 ° C, to maintain the temperature of the animal. In addition, the satellite was equipped with enough food for a seven-day flight. The food was in the form of gelatin. Also designed a "space suit" for Laika. The animal was equipped with a bag to store their waste, and a harness that limited his movements to sit, stand or lie down in the cabin and had no room to tumble. Laika's heart rate could be monitored from Earth, and other instruments measured their breathing rate, blood pressure and movimientos.4 5
Model of Sputnik 2, Laika's spacecraft. Laika was a stray dog from Moscow, which weighed approximately 6 kg and was 3 years old when he was captured for the Soviet space program. Originally called Kudryavka (rizadita) after Zhuchka (bug), then Limonchik (little lemon), and finally call it Laika, because of their race. The captured dogs were kept in a research center in this city, and three of them were tested and trained for the demands of the mission: Laika, Albina and Mushka.6 Training
Before the launch of Sputnik 2, both the Soviet Union and the United States had already launched live animals on flights suborbitales.7 This mission required special attention to the training of dogs, since the flight time required the animals to adapt to stay in confined spaces for a longer period. Albina was released twice in a rocket to test their resistance to high altitude, and Mushka was used to test instrumentation and life support equipment. Laika was selected to participate in the orbital mission, and Albina as the main surrogate. His training was conducted by Oleg Gazenko.8 scientific training required to accustom the dogs to the environment they would encounter on the trip, as the limited space of the capsule, noise, vibration and acceleration. As part of training, the acceleration in the takeoffs were simulated by the centrifugal force imposed on the capsule where the animals were introduced. During these activities, your coming to double pulse and blood pressure increased by 30-65 torr. The same general process would be used later in the training of Soviet cosmonauts.
The adaptation of animals to the confined space of the Sputnik 2, required to remain in ever smaller compartments, for up to twenty days. Forced confinement led to riots in the excretory functions of animals, increasing agitation and general physical condition deteriorated.
[Edit] The mission
On October 31, 1957, three days before launch, Laika was placed in the Sputnik 2, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan today. As temperatures in the launch site were extremely low, heat the capsule to be maintained through an external heater and hose. Two assistants were responsible for Laika constantly monitor before the start of the mission. Just before takeoff, the November 3, 1957, Laika's fur was cleaned with a solution of ethanol, and they painted with iodine areas where the dog would monitor functions sensors corporales.9 Sputnik 2 was launched on November 3, 1957. Laika's vital signs were followed telemetrically by ground control. Upon reaching full throttle after takeoff, the animal's breathing rate increased from three to four times normal, and heart rate from 103 to 240 beats per minute. Upon reaching orbit, Sputnik 2 conical tip came off successfully. The other section of the ship that should have been revealed (the "Blok A") did not, preventing the thermal control system malfunction. Part of insulation broke off, allowing the capsule reaches an internal temperature of 40 ° C.10 After three hours of microgravity, Laika's pulse had dropped to 102 beats per minute, 11 this decrease in heart rate were taken three times more time than experienced during training, indicating the stress under which he was the dog. The initial telemetry data showed that although Laika was agitated, he was eating. The reception of vital data stood between five and seven hours after liftoff. However, the information released Moscow, said the animal behaved calm in space flight and in a few days Laika descend to earth, first in his space capsule and then parachute. The world hoped that the animal had enough food and his condition was stable, so many people were pending the return of Laika. Some took the opportunity to joke: for several hours, the population of Santiago de Chile was convinced that Laika had fallen in the city. The inhabitants of the suburbs saw a dog down by parachute, and people were instantly convinced that it was Laika. When the animal arrived in the land, it was found that in fact it was a male dog, and the assembly was just a joke to take advantage of the psychosis of "Flying Dog" .12 [Edit] The fate of Laika in space
Sputnik 2 was not ready to return to Earth safely, so we already know that Laika would not survive the trip. It is normal if we consider that everything was done in four weeks.Soviet scientists planned to sacrifice with food poisoning, which consume Laika after ten days. However, the fate of the animal was not what he had planned. For years, the Soviet Union gave contradictory explanations about the death of Laika, sometimes saying the dog had died from asphyxiation when the batteries failed, or had been euthanized in accordance with the original plans. In 1999, Russian sources claimed that Laika survived at least four days and then killed by overheating of the spacecraft. In October 2002, the scientist Dimitri Malashenkov, who participated in the launch of Sputnik 2, revealed that Laika had died between five and seven hours after liftoff, due to stress and overheating. According to an article that appeared in the World Space Congress in Houston:
On October 31, 1957, three days before launch, Laika was placed in the Sputnik 2, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan today. As temperatures in the launch site were extremely low, heat the capsule to be maintained through an external heater and hose. Two assistants were responsible for Laika constantly monitor before the start of the mission. Just before takeoff, the November 3, 1957, Laika's fur was cleaned with a solution of ethanol, and they painted with iodine areas where the dog would monitor functions sensors corporales.9 Sputnik 2 was launched on November 3, 1957. Laika's vital signs were followed telemetrically by ground control. Upon reaching full throttle after takeoff, the animal's breathing rate increased from three to four times normal, and heart rate from 103 to 240 beats per minute. Upon reaching orbit, Sputnik 2 conical tip came off successfully. The other section of the ship that should have been revealed (the "Blok A") did not, preventing the thermal control system malfunction. Part of insulation broke off, allowing the capsule reaches an internal temperature of 40 ° C.10 After three hours of microgravity, Laika's pulse had dropped to 102 beats per minute, 11 this decrease in heart rate were taken three times more time than experienced during training, indicating the stress under which he was the dog. The initial telemetry data showed that although Laika was agitated, he was eating. The reception of vital data stood between five and seven hours after liftoff. However, the information released Moscow, said the animal behaved calm in space flight and in a few days Laika descend to earth, first in his space capsule and then parachute. The world hoped that the animal had enough food and his condition was stable, so many people were pending the return of Laika. Some took the opportunity to joke: for several hours, the population of Santiago de Chile was convinced that Laika had fallen in the city. The inhabitants of the suburbs saw a dog down by parachute, and people were instantly convinced that it was Laika. When the animal arrived in the land, it was found that in fact it was a male dog, and the assembly was just a joke to take advantage of the psychosis of "Flying Dog" .12 [Edit] The fate of Laika in space
Sputnik 2 was not ready to return to Earth safely, so we already know that Laika would not survive the trip. It is normal if we consider that everything was done in four weeks.Soviet scientists planned to sacrifice with food poisoning, which consume Laika after ten days. However, the fate of the animal was not what he had planned. For years, the Soviet Union gave contradictory explanations about the death of Laika, sometimes saying the dog had died from asphyxiation when the batteries failed, or had been euthanized in accordance with the original plans. In 1999, Russian sources claimed that Laika survived at least four days and then killed by overheating of the spacecraft. In October 2002, the scientist Dimitri Malashenkov, who participated in the launch of Sputnik 2, revealed that Laika had died between five and seven hours after liftoff, due to stress and overheating. According to an article that appeared in the World Space Congress in Houston:
Was virtually impossible to create a reliable temperature control in such a short time.13 Sputnik 2 orbited Earth 2,570 times during 163 days. The ship exploded on contact with the atmosphere on April 14, 1958.
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