10 Tragic Facts About Laika

Laika was a stray dog in Russia.
She was selected to be sent into outer space.
The aim was to learn how long a dog can last in space.
With a rapid breath and pounding heart, Laika rode a rocket called Sputnik 2 into Earth Orbit on November 3rd, 1957.
Frightened, overheated, and cramped, she gave her life for Soviet Union involuntarily.
This was a suicide mission because the satellite was not designed to bring her back to earth.

Here are the top 10 tragic facts about Laika and her story.

#1. She Had No Home.
Laika was found on the streets of Moscow, a stray that like any other dog, just wanted a warm home, a steady supply of food, and perhaps some love. Unfortunately, strays were sought out by the Soviet Union for their space program, as dogs were easy to train and therefore, easier to prepare for space missions. The reasoning behind this was that stray mutts had already endured a hard life of little to no food, poor environmental conditions, and physical ailments, and as such, this would make them tough enough to handle what space could throw at them. Interestingly enough, Laika was not the first dog to head up into orbit, as the Soviets did send Albina, who made it halfway up into orbit and back safely. If Laika didn’t pass training, Albina would replace her. Another dog, Mushka, was used to test the life support system that would be given to Laika during her trip, but unfortunately, the space program was too hard for her and she eventually became so terrified that she refused to eat. All of these dogs were strays and had no home but the empty streets.

#2. Laika Was Destined to Die and They Knew It.
The Sputnik 2 was not built to withstand coming back down into Earth’s atmosphere and therefore, could not reenter the atmosphere safely. The scientists within the Soviet space program knew that Laika would not be making the trip home and was only expected to spend a few days alive up in space. This sparked outrage amongst international press, as campaigns cropped up in an attempt to stop the mission from going forward as the mission was deemed as animal cruelty. The Soviets did not understand why everyone was so outraged, as they were sending her up into space for the sake of “humanity” and they even reiterated that Soviets love dogs. While Albina was the first choice for the mission, she was kept back as she had already “done her job” and Laika was sent instead, because they knew she was going to die.

#3. They Rushed the Mission.
The original plan had Laika coming home and the Soviets even told press outlets that she would be comfortable, would have everything she needed to survive, and would return home safely. Sadly, the original plan was changed, as Nikita Khrushchev wanted the satellite launch to be used in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. To put it bluntly, the entire Sputnik 2 launch was used as a propaganda piece and in order for the satellite to be ready in time, it was to be rushed. So, the original plan was scrapped, and scientists had to come up with a spacecraft capable of sending Laika into orbit within four weeks, which meant that all traditional designs of rocket technology were thrown out and with it, Laika’s safe return home.

#4. Cramped Training and Small Spaces.
Sputnik 2 was a tiny satellite, no bigger than a washing machine. This meant that Laika would not be able to turn around and would only be able to sit and lie down, facing in one direction. To get Laika ready for the tight space that was Sputnik 2, she was transitioned through a series of smaller and smaller cages. She would be left for up to twenty days at a time in a small cage, then pulled out and immediately placed into an even smaller one. A side effect of this was that the dogs who were being trained in this way would refuse to defecate and would then become constipated which required the use of laxatives. Eventually the dogs would adapt, but only because they were forced to stay in these cages until they knew nothing else.

#5. Laika Had One Good Day with a Scientist’s Family.
Dr. Vladimir Yazdovsky had been working extremely closely with Laika during the last four weeks of the training leading up to the satellite launch. Because he was the one who had plucked her off the streets, trained her, and chose her to go up into space, he wanted to do something nice for her on the day before her journey. So, he brought her back to his home to let her experience what life would have been like as a domesticated dog. His family played with her, fed her, and loved her. On launch day, Dr. Vladimor Yazdovsky’s family came to the launch site and said their goodbyes to Laika, knowing that she would not come home.

#6. A Terrifying Experience for Laika.
On launch day, Laika was placed in the rocket that would send her up into space, but there was a malfunction that needed to be repaired.