Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Monday, February 6
    Trending
    • Headline: Deadly Earthquakes Hits Turkey
    • This Day in History on February 6th
    • History Short: When Were Microchips Invented?
    • The 2023 China Balloon Incident: A Compilation
    • Short Headline: Why Did Biden Wait to Shoot Down Chinese Balloon?
    • Short Headline: China Balloon Shootdown and Controversy
    • This Day in History on February 5th
    • History Short: What is the Greatest Museum in the World?
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»Lifestyle»Animals/Pets»November 3, 1957: The First Astronaut was a Dog!
    Animals/Pets

    November 3, 1957: The First Astronaut was a Dog!

    Major DanBy Major DanNovember 3, 2015Updated:June 16, 20201 Comment4 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    On November 3, 1957, before any chimpanzee, any man, any woman, any Russian, any American went into space, the Soviet dog Laika became the first astronaut (cosmonaut in Soviet terms) in history, an indication of just how important dogs are to people.

    Digging Deeper

    Unfortunately, poor Laika was on a one way mission, as the fledgling space programs of the day did not include the technology for a safe return to Earth.  A stray found roaming the streets of Moscow, Laika was an 5 to 6 kilogram mixed breed dog.  (Note: We say mixed breed instead of mongrel or mutt, terms better applied to certain people such as politicians.)  Being a stray, Laika did not actually have a known given name, and the term Laika was merely a Russian description of a dog of that type.  The name stuck in the world press, and History knows her as Laika.

    Laika and other dogs in the Soviet space program were trained to become accustomed to being confined in small spaces and space capsule type environments.  One of the scientists even took Laika home to play with his children as a reward to the doomed pup for her cooperation.  Laika earned the right to be blasted into space by exhibiting a calm and cooperative nature.

    Laika was hooked up to various instruments to measure her vital signs during her flight, and she was loaded into the Sputnik 2 capsule atop an R7 rocket and launched into orbit.  The dog tolerated the launch forces well, with her hearbeat more than doubling during launch.  Unfortunately, she died of overheating only a few hours (5 to 7 hours) into the flight.  Interestingly, the steadfast canine did calm down after achieving orbit, and even ate her food provided.  Cause of death by overheating was probably caused by a failure detach part of the booster rocket that resulted in failure of heat shielding insulation.  The capsule containing Laika eventually made over 2700 orbits of the Earth before burning up upon reentry in April of 1958.

    As governments are apt to do, the Soviets lied about the timing and cause of Laika’s death, giving various stories about her being euthanized by poison food, eventually suffocating, and living for several days into the flight.  Only many years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union has the truth been told.

    In 2008 the Russians unveiled a monument to Laika, the Space Dog in Moscow, and she also appears on another Russian monument to space pioneers.  Criticism by animal lovers about the one way mission led to future missions using dogs and other animals being planned with live re-entry and recovery, although those were not always successful, just as human flight into space has not always concluded with live recovery.

    Dogs are indeed “Man’s Best Friend,” being our companions and partners for as long as 30,000 years.  No other animal on Earth is as in-tune to humans as dogs.  Our hats are off to Laika and all the millions of dogs that have sacrificed themselves for the benefit of humans over the millennia.  Question for students (and subscribers): Do you have a dog?  What breed do you think is best?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Davey, Owen.  Laika: Astronaut Dog.  Templar, 2013.

    Laika and ライカ.  Sounds of Satellites.  Sire / London/Rhino, 1997.  Audio CD.

    Turkina, Olesya.  Soviet Space Dogs.  Eds. Damon Murray and Stephen Sorrell.  FUEL Publishing, 2014.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous ArticleAmerican Imperialism: Annexing the Philippines
    Next Article November 4, 1962: Nuclear SAM Missiles Used to be All Over USA
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    Headline: Deadly Earthquakes Hits Turkey

    February 6, 2023

    History Short: When Were Microchips Invented?

    February 6, 2023

    The 2023 China Balloon Incident: A Compilation

    February 5, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    Headline: Deadly Earthquakes Hits Turkey

    February 6, 2023

    This Day in History on February 6th

    February 6, 2023

    History Short: When Were Microchips Invented?

    February 6, 2023

    The 2023 China Balloon Incident: A Compilation

    February 5, 2023

    Short Headline: Why Did Biden Wait to Shoot Down Chinese Balloon?

    February 5, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2022 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.