Almost a month after the former Soviet Union put an Earth-orbiting artificial satellite Sputnik 1, the Soviets returned to take another punch line to launch November 3, 1957 its second satellite artificial, Sputnik 2, with a living being inside that would become the first living creature to carry out an orbital trip.
The animal chosen for the mission was a stray dog \u200b\u200bwandering the streets of Moscow. Those responsible for the mission believed that stray dogs were able to survive in harsh conditions than those who had a home. His original name was Kudryavka ("Little Curly"), but later became known worldwide as Laika.
On October 31, 1957, three days before launch, Laika was placed in the Sputnik 2, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan today. As temperatures in the launch site were extremely low, heat the capsule to be maintained through an external heater and hose. Two assistants were responsible for Laika constantly monitor before the start of the mission. Just before takeoff, the November 3, 1957, Laika's fur was cleaned with a solution of ethanol, and they painted with iodine those areas where the dog would sensors to monitor their bodily functions.
Sputnik 2 was launched on November 3, 1957. Laika's vital signs were followed telemetrically by ground control. Upon reaching full throttle after takeoff, the animal's breathing rate increased from three to four times normal, and heart rate from 103 to 240 beats per minute. Upon reaching orbit, Sputnik 2 conical tip came off successfully. The other section of the ship that should have been revealed he did not, preventing the thermal control system malfunction. Part of the thermal insulation came off, allowing the capsule reaches an internal temperature of 40 ° C. After three hours of microgravity, Laika's pulse had dropped to 102 beats per minute, this decrease in heart rate were taken three times longer than experienced during training, indicating the stress under which he was the dog. Initial telemetry data showed that although Laika was agitated, he was eating. The reception of vital data stood between five and seven hours after liftoff.
For years, the Soviet Union gave contradictory explanations about the death of Laika, sometimes saying the dog had died of asphyxiation when batteries failed, or had been euthanized in accordance with the original plans. In October 2002, the scientist Dimitri Malashenkov, who participated in the launch of Sputnik 2, revealed that Laika had died between five and seven hours after liftoff, due to stress and overheating.
After Laika, no other dog manned mission was launched without a system for the safe return of the animal.
Links:
Youtube: Video on Sputnik 2 mission.
Music: Song of atista Memorial Trentemøller Laika.
Sources: Wikipedia
