The first dog in space
Day 70 / 365
Whether it’s drugs or new medical procedures, humans have always tried out stuff on animals first before extending into to themselves. So it’s not a surprise that during the space race when the Soviet Union was trying to send people to space, they didn’t try it out with a human being straightaway. The first living creature to go into the vast unknown, was a dog named Laika.
On November 3rd, 1957, Laika became the first living creature ever to orbit the earth. The saddest part though is that this was a suicide mission. There was no way to bring her back.
Laika’s training
Laika was a stray dog on the streets of Moscow before she was captured and trained for the mission.
To prepare Laika to be in the spaceship, Laika was gradually placed in smaller and smaller cages. This was to make sure she doesn’t become claustrophobic in the tiny spaceship.
Laika’s death
After the launch the Soviet declared that Laika survived a full day in the spaceship, orbiting around the earth. After that, she ate the poison that they had kept for her so that she could have a painless death.
There were controversies around this statement, with some Soviet scientist conflicting it. It was finally revealed in 2002 that Laika had actually died within hours of the launch, due to suffocation and heat. Her death was not a painless one.
Laika’s sacrifice was not in wain. It proved that living beings can survive in weightlessness, and it paved the way for humans in space.
This story is part of my 365 Day Project for 2019. Read about it here
Yesterday’s blog — Get the Action Habit