Today’s feature is fairly bittersweet. On this date in 1957, Laika became the first dog in space. She was launched by the Soviets in Sputnik 2, and she was provided with enough food and water to last for ten days. Her trip was to be a one-way trip. Nothing was known about what happens when one reenters the atmosphere. It was assumed that the vessel would burn up. Therefore, the plan was to feed the dog poisoned food before that could happen. However, Laika expired in space due to heat and stress. From what I understand, the matter of her death has been controversial at best. As you can imagine, animal rights activists all over the place were up in arms about this dog’s sacrifice. On the plus side, she paved the way for many other successful animal missions to and from space.
For more information:
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1950s/p/laikathedog.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika
http://famousdaily.com/history/soviet-union-launches-first-animal-into-space.html
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1 Comment
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That is just sad 🙁
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