Laika: The Brave Space Dog
The first dog to orbit Earth and a pioneer in space exploration
The first dog to go to space was Laika, a stray dog from Moscow. She made history on November 3, 1957, aboard the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2. This mission marked the first time a living being orbited Earth.
Her training was rigorous and tailored for the extreme conditions of space. Laika and other candidates were subjected to intensive training that included confinement in small capsules to mimic the spacecraft's environment and exposure to loud rocket noises and intense vibrations to acclimate them to the conditions of launch.
The dogs were selected for their calm temperaments and small sizes. Before launch, sensors were surgically implanted in Laika to monitor her heart rate, breathing, and stress levels. Despite being given special care—such as keeping her warm at the cold launch site and grooming her fur—Laika’s mission was one-way, as Sputnik 2 was not designed for retrieval. Her heart rate spiked significantly during launch, indicating stress, and she tragically passed within hours of overheating due to a malfunction in the spacecraft's thermal control system.
Although Laika’s mission provided valuable data on living beings in space, it also sparked global ethical debates about the treatment of animals in scientific research. Today, Laika is memorialized as a pioneer in space exploration, though her story remains a poignant reminder of the costs of scientific advancement.
While her journey was short, Laika remains a symbol of bravery and the beginning of human exploration of space.