In a few months, especially on November 3, it will be 65 years since the second spacecraft was launched into space. USSR satellite: Sputnik II. However, this historic achievement humanhad animal actively participating in the space race, though certainly not willingly: bitch “obedience“. In 1957 in full space race Communist leaders between the Soviet Union and the United States, resistance of a creature in space before sending a man. The chosen one was Laika, a dog whose name probably became one dog names More popular, Studied in Moscow To match the dimensions of the small capsule from which it will leave Earth. ethical question about suffering to which he was exposed bitch It continues to be a recurring debate, revived every year. its anniversary death.
Laika survived between 5 and 7 hours and died for heat and panic. However, this was not fully known until 2002. The USSR sweetened the news of his death and underlined what it meant, so that years later, the cosmonaut Yuri gagarin will be first man sent into space.
a secular one street bitch He was found wandering the streets of Moscow. this soviet scientists chose to use stray dogs Since this is assumed to be Moscow animals they had already learned to endure extreme cold and starvation conditions. was decided. dogs Because of their great adaptability and ease of use, they were the best choice for demonstrating a mammal’s resilience to extreme conditions. education. The team worked extensively with a large number of candidates and put them through a selection process that included: experiments someone’s persecution absolutely inhumane put animals in capsules too small for all days, radically changing the thermal and atmospheric conditions inside and subjecting them to the original conditions. sensory torture. Back then, it was all worth it to find the “candidate” with the best adaptability.
Laika: The first living creature in space
Finally, a female dog, Laika (meaning Barker in Russian) race mixed with husky spitz about three years, he was the elected candidate. Probably acting out of guilt Vladimir Yazdovskyscientist and doctor soviet space programthe day before launch, he took it home and tried to secure the last few hours of peace and human love before taking it down as it was planned from the beginning as a one-way trip.
The mission was successful, but the price to be paid was Laika’s life. this Sputnik 2 It was the second spacecraft orbited the earthNovember 3, 1957 at 02:30 UTC. It was a conical capsule 4 meters high. 2 meters diameter base. It contained radio transmitters, a telemetry system, a programmable unit, cabin temperature and regeneration control system, and several compartments designed to house scientific instruments. He traveled separately from the others, in a sealed cabin. dogthe real name “Kudryavka” and weighed about 6 kilograms. Sputnik 2’s pressurized cabin allowed it to lie down or stand up and was padded. a regenerative system air supplied oxygen; food and water was in the form of jelly.
Laika, the dog’s pain and the Soviet lie
Laika was kept in a harness, a bag of feces was collected, and electrodes monitored vital signs. An early telemetry report showed Laika was restless in space, but was eating. There was no possibility of returning to Earth, so planned to be sacrificed after 10 days in orbit. Originally from the Soviet Union The dog reportedly died on the sixth daywith remotely induced euthanasia to prevent him from suffering from a lack of oxygen.
However, years later it was realized that all this information was Soviet propaganda. In October In 2002, Russian sources stated that Laika He died within hours after suffering hyperventilation and tachycardia from overheating and the stress he was exposed to. The mission provided the scientists with the first data. behavior of a living organism in a space environment.
A historic achievement marked by human cruelty
Laika’s death caused a stir immediate reaction by some associations animal defensehowever, these protests had little effect and were silenced by the Soviet and American media. With the passage of time and advances in the defense of animal rights, it has become possible to put the debate on the defense of animal rights on the table. animal abuse with numerous scientific publications in research settings wondering where to watch ethical boundary line between experiment with animals. Also years later some members of the Sputnik project, they were sad and they lamented what Laika’s sacrifice meant. “As time goes by, I’m more sorry for what happened. We shouldn’t have done this…We didn’t even learn enough from this mission to justify the loss of the animal,” said his trainer Oleg Gazenko at a conference in Moscow 1990 years later. Today, he is still considered one. He is one of the most famous animals in history and has several commemorative sacrifices. It has statues and monuments.