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"Laika, which is Russian for 'Husky' or 'Barker,' had the real name of Kudryavka ('Little Curly'). In the U.S. she was eventually dubbed 'Muttnik,'" described NASA.
According to historical documents, Laika was among the first animals in space at a time when little was known about how spaceflight might affect living organisms. To fill this void in research, animal flights were deemed a necessary precursor to human missions.
Sputnik 2 was the second spacecraft launched into Earth orbit and the first to contain a living organism. NASA described the vessel as:
The pressurized cabin on Sputnik 2 allowed enough room for her to lie down or stand and was padded. An air regeneration system provided oxygen; food and water were dispensed in a gelatinized form. Laika was fitted with a harness, a bag to collect waste, and electrodes to monitor vital signs. The early telemetry indicated Laika was agitated but eating her food. There was no capability of returning a payload safely to Earth at this time, so it was planned that Laika would run out of oxygen after about 10 days of orbiting the Earth. Because of the thermal problems she probably only survived a day or two. The mission provided scientists with the first data on the behavior of a living organism orbiting in the space environment.
The Royal Museums Greenwich writes that the "young, part-Samoyad terrier" was "chosen as Soviet scientists believed a homeless animal would be better equipped to endure the cold, hunger and harsh conditions of space travel." The museum notes:
In their training before the launch, the canine candidates were placed in a series of demanding endurance trials and medical examinations. Among other tests, scientists examined how the animals would cope in the distressingly cramped space capsule. Laika and two other dogs (Albina and Mushka) were placed in increasingly smaller cages over several weeks. With her calm temperament and grace under pressure, Laika was chosen. Vladimir Yazdovsky, the leader of the Soviet space mission, described Laika as "quiet and charming."
Laika's spacecraft, Sputnik 2, was fitted with a variety of innovative devices to keep her alive. There was an oxygen generator which absorbed carbon dioxide, a heat-activated fan to regulate the temperature and the capsule was stocked with enough food to keep the dog alive for seven days.
A 2001 scientific overview published in the Journal of Applied Physiology noted that Laika's vital signs were measured in an environmentally controlled chamber with food administered twice daily. Before launch, her heart rate was 103 beats per minute and increased to 240 beats per minute during acceleration. After three hours of weightlessness, her heart rate decreased to 102 beats per minute.
Laika shown on stamp from Romania in 1957 (Public Domain)
Laika was never expected to return to Earth. At the time of the launch, technology to reenter the atmosphere didn't yet exist. Sputnik 2 was engineered in four weeks and this, according to NASA, contributed to Laika's fate:
Due to the lack of adequate development time, no provisions were made to recover Laika. Engineers had not designed the environmental control system for a lengthy mission and it is likely that Laika only survived for a few hours after reaching orbit. On November 10, the satellite's batteries expired, and receipt of data from the science experiments also ceased. Sputnik 2 burned up on reentry on April 14, 1958. It would be nearly three years before the Soviet Union orbited more animals, this time returning the entire "crew" safely to Earth, the first steps in preparation for human space flight.
A 1960 report published by the U.S. Naval School of Aviation Medicine noted that Laika was estimated to have died on the sixth day "due to hypoxia," or a lack of oxygen.
However, as the Royal Museums Greenwich writes, there there are conflicting accounts of Laika's death. Initial Soviet reports suggested that "she had died when the oxygen levels depleted or that she had been deliberately 'put to sleep' with poisoned food."
The general modern consensus is that Laika died after Sputnik 2 overheated.
A 1997 paper published by NASA and written by James Harford, former director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, also wrote that Laika "died when the capsule overheated after failing to separate from its booster, thereby rendering the thermal control system inoperative."
Page 164 of the 2007 book, "Animals in Space," co-published by Colin Burgess and Chriss Dubbs, described a 1999 interview with Russian researchers, noting that Laika died after Sputnik 2 overheated:
The exact cause and time of Laika's death remained a matter of conjecture over the years, thanks to conflicting accounts provided in various Soviet publications. Some reports claimed that she had died after about a week when the satellite's batteries lost power and could no longer circulate oxygen. Others suggested that she had been euthanised with poisoned food, poison gas or a poison injection. Later, Soviet sources hinted that Laika had died after several hours when her cabin overheated – a claim validated by Oleg Gazenko during a 1993 interview with one of the authors in Vienna. Gazenko revealed at the time that Laika had perished "soon after launch" due to a problem with stripped insulation and overheating, which had sent her capsule's inner temperature soaring to unsustainable levels in excess of 100*F.
In 2008, a monument for Laika opened in memory of the pup.
(Public Domain)
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