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Title: Laika: the Russian Space Dog!
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URL Source: http://www.tedstrong.com/laika-trsd.shtml
Published: Nov 4, 1957
Author: Ted Strong
Post Date: 2011-06-04 18:21:11 by Mad Dog
Keywords: some people, think that this is just, about a dog
Views: 4288
Comments: 4
Laika was one of the Russian space dogs and the first living passenger to enter orbit on Sputnik 2, a Soviet spacecraft. Some classify her as the first animal to enter space, although others argue that animals had entered space during sub-orbital flights on previous missions. Laika is also the name of several breeds of dogs. Laika was found as a stray wandering the streets of Moscow, a female part-Samoyed terrier weighing approximately 6 kg (13 lb) and about 3 years old. Her name was changed from Kudryavka (Russian for "Little Curly"), and she was nicknamed Zhuchka ("Little Bug") and Limonchik ("Lemon"). The American press dubbed her Muttnik (a portmanteau of mutt and Sputnik). Laika died on November 4, 1957, a few hours after launch from stress and overheating. Her true cause of death was not made public until years after the flight, with officials always stating that she was either euthanized by poisoned food or died when the oxygen supply ran out. Russian officials have since expressed regret for allowing Laika to die; to this date, Laika is the only living passenger ever to have been launched into space without the intention of retrieval. Although Laika did not survive the trip, the experiment proved that a living passenger could survive being launched into orbit and endure weightlessness. It paved the way for human spaceflight, and provided scientists with some of the first data on how living organisms react to spaceflight environments. Sputnik 2 Laika could stand or lie down in her padded space capsule. After the success of Sputnik 1, Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet leader at the time, wanted a second spacecraft launched on November 7, the 40th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. There was a much more sophisticated satellite already under construction, but it would not be ready until December. This satellite would later become Sputnik 3. In order to meet the November deadline, a new, less sophisticated design had to be built. According to Russian sources, the official decision to launch Sputnik 2 was made on October 10 or 12, leaving the team only 4 weeks to design and build the space craft. Sputnik 2, therefore, was something of a rushed job, with most elements of the space craft being constructed from rough sketches. Aside from the primary mission of sending a living being into space, Sputnik 2 also contained instrumentation for measuring solar radiation and cosmic rays. During orbital insertion, problems with the spacecraft prevented the thermal control system from operating correctly, and some of the thermal insulation tore loose. As a result of this, the temperature in the cabin rose to 40°C (104°F). Laika's voyage The Soviet Union and the United States had previously sent animals only on sub-orbital flights. Three dogs were trained for the Sputnik 2 flight: Albina, Mushka and Laika. Laika was selected and trained by the Russian space-life scientist Oleg Gazenko. Albina flew twice on a high-altitude test rocket while Mushka was used to test instrumentation and life support. To adapt the dogs to the confines of the tiny cabin of Sputnik 2, they were kept in progressively smaller cages for periods up to 20 days, placed in centrifuges that simulated the acceleration of a rocket launch and placed in simulators that simulated the noises of the spacecraft. They were trained to eat a special high-nutrition gel that would be their food in space. According to a NASA document, Laika was placed in the satellite on October 31, 1957 — three days before the start of the mission. The temperatures at the launch site were extremely cold at that time of year, so a hose connected to an air conditioner was used to keep her container warm. Two assistants were assigned to keep a constant watch on Laika before launch. Just prior to launch on November 3, 1957 from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Laika's fur was sponged in a weak alcohol solution, and then carefully groomed. Iodine was painted onto areas where sensors would be placed to monitor her bodily functions. 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. The sensors showed that during launch her pulse rate rose to three times its restinglevel. After reaching weightlessness, her pulse rate decreased, but it took three times longer than it had during earlier ground tests, an indication of stress. Approximately five to seven hours into the flight, no further life signs were received from the spacecraft. It had been planned that Laika would be euthanized with a poisoned serving of food after 10 days. For many years, the Soviet Union gave conflicting statements that she had either died from oxygen starvation when the batteries failed, or that she had been euthanized. There were many rumours circulated about the exact manner of her passing. In 1999, several Russian sources said that she died after four days when the cabin overheated. In October 2002, it was revealed by Dr. Dimitri Malashenkov, one of the scientists behind the Sputnik 2 mission, that Laika had died between five and seven hours after launch, from overheating and stress. Sputnik 2 was finally destroyed during reentry on April 14, 1958 after 2,570 orbits. Controversy Sputnik 2 was not designed to be retrievable, so Laika was doomed to die from the beginning. It sparked a debate across the globe on the mistreatment of animals to advance science (see also animal testing). The mission was viewed by many, including Soviet citizens, as a propaganda stunt. In the United Kingdom, The National Canine Defence League called on all dog owners to observe a minute's silence, while the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) received protests even before the Soviet Union had finished announcing the mission's success. Animal rights groups at the time called on members of the public to protest at Russian embassies. This Russian pin from 1957 commemorates Laika. However, these protests were politically motivated, at least in part. In the Soviet Union, there was no controversy, as the Soviet people perceived exploits and personal sacrifices as normal and neither the media, nor books in the following years, nor the public questioned the decision to send the dog into space to ultimately die. In 1998, Oleg Gazenko, one of the leading scientists responsible for sending Laika into space, expressed regret for allowing her to die: "The more time passes, the more I am sorry about it. We did not learn enough from the mission to justify the death of a dog." Celebrity Laika's pioneering journey made her one of the most famous dogs in the world. A plaque commemorating fallen cosmonauts was unveiled at the Institute for Aviation and Space Medicine in Star City, Moscow in November 1997, and in one corner of the plaque there is an image of Laika. She has been pictured on several postage stamps in different countries around the world. Brands of chocolate and cigarettes were named in her honour as well as a large collection of memorabilia that continues to be sold at auctions today.
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#3. To: Mad Dog (#0)
Laika the Space Dog Comrades! Such Progress Our Progressive Progressivism the World Has Never Seen! May Day! The Festivus of Communism! Who would have believed that after our victorious November Revolution of 2006 we would be in the position we are today, less than two years later? What could be better? The Complete Victory in November that has been assured by our Troika of Triumph, The Candidates Three! McHillama! Never before have we had such success in making sure America gets what it deserves in the struggle for International Socialism. Sure, there was Wilson, FDR, and Carter in the last century, but this is a new millennium and ....and ...and... I'm getting so giddy with glee, I think I'm going to faint! No matter what, power is ours for the taking and take we will. Massive applause. ( leans over and whispers to Red and Meow ..."gimme another sip of Teddy's water, it's friggin' freezin' cold up here on this granite mausoleum. Who had the stupid idea to do this every year? Stalin? Hell, he always had two litres of Hy-Test in him, no wonder he didn't give a flying Yak's ass ) ( Red Square stops clapping, applause stops ) Yes We Will Comrades! Yes We Will! ( much applause, mob howls and drools ) This year's theme is an essay contest open to every 12-year-old Young Pioneer who isn't "home schooled" and that goes without saying. The essay theme is "What May Day Means to the Collective, Not Just Me, Because That Would Be Reactionary and Selfish." Since there are no winners, a random essay will be chosen and that child will get a free "Laika the Space Dog" T-shirt because everything should be for free. It's still a contest though, the only score we'll keep will be the ones who get a shovel and a one way ticket to the gulag for failing to submit an essay. You may submit your essays below on this thread. Laika
. HAIL LAIKA!
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Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/LatestGlorious Peoples' Link!
4th Official May Day
5/1/2008, 8:07 pm
Signal to Strong Obamunists, Hillary Operatives,
Supporters:
and Fifth Column McCain
~
Enjoy your ONE AND ONLY HOLIDAY!
Senator Kennedy, you may toss out the first drunk!
Whoops, looks like it's the Senator himself.
OK, let the Tanks Roll!
High gasoline prices, rice rationing, food prices soaring, the failure of the capitalist credit system (loud applause) and record foreclosures on so-called "private property". All our hard work is paying off.... ummm.... bearing fruit.... hmmm.... nooooo.... Well, let's just say all our hard work is making The Party™ stronger than ever before.
Change?
Hope? No!
Barack, can you toss me that bottle of Evian under your podium?.....glug, glug, pshhhht, gasp, gag, gag, cough.... Whoa!...No, Senator Obama, that was Teddy's Evian... er... a... bottle of "water" he keeps for emergencies just like this. There must have been a mixup.
Not Yes We Can. Yes We Will!
Yes We Will (fill in the gender, species, transgender, or favorite appliance) the Barricades is Denver!
Yes We Will Recreate not only '68! but '05! & '17 too!
Yes We Will Riot if a Black Man or White Woman isn't Nominated!
Yes We Will Distribute Revolutionary Justice and Re-Distribute Goods! Happy May Day!
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#4. To: Happy Quanzaa (#3)
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