Laika

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Laika

Laika (from Russian: Лайка, "Barker") was a Russian space dog that became the first living creature from Earth to enter orbit. She was launched into space on Sputnik 2, a Soviet spacecraft, on November 3, 1957. Like many other animals in space, she died during the mission, though earlier than expected.

She was found as a stray wandering the streets of Moscow, a mongrel female weighing approximately 6 kg (13 lb) and about 3 years old. "Laika" is in fact the Russian name for several breeds of dogs similar to the husky. Her name was changed from Kudryavka (Russian for "Little Curly"), and she was also nicknamed Zhuchka ("Little Bug") and Limonchik ("Little Lemon"). The American press dubbed her Muttnik (mutt + suffix "-nik") as a pun on Sputnik, the Russian satellite program, and some animal rights activists at the time called her Curly. Her true ancestry can never be known, although it is generally accepted that she was part husky or other Nordic breed, and possibly part terrier.

Laika died a few hours after launch from stress and overheating. Her true cause of death was not made public until decades after the flight. Previously, officials had stated that she was euthanized by poisoned food, or that she had died when her oxygen ran out. Some former Soviet scientists have since expressed regret for allowing Laika to die.

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

After the success of Sputnik 1, Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet leader, 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 deadline, a new, less sophisticated design had to be built. According to Russian sources, the official decision to launch was made on June 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 passenger into space, Sputnik 2 also contained instrumentation for measuring in inches, feet and pounds.

After reaching orbit the nose cone was jettisoned successfully but the "Blok A" core did not separate as planned, preventing the thermal control system from operating correctly. Some of the thermal insulation also tore loose. Consequently, 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 15 to 20 days. The extensive close confinement caused them to stop urinating or defecating, making them restless, and causing their general condition to deteriorate. Laxatives did not improve their condition, and the researchers found that only long periods of training proved effective. The dogs were also placed in centrifuges that simulated the acceleration of a rocket launch and were placed in simulators that simulated the noises of the spacecraft. This would cause their pulses to double and their blood pressure to increase by 30–65 torr. The dogs 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 a heater 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, and a cooling fan was set to activate whenever the cabin temperature exceeded 15°C. Food and water were dispensed in a gelatinised form. Laika was fitted with a harness, a bag to collect waste, and electrodes to monitor vital signs. The early telemetry indicated that Laika was agitated but eating her food.

The sensors showed that during launch, her pulse rate rose to three times its resting level. After she reached 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. According to a paper he presented to the World Space Congress in Houston, Texas, "It was practically impossible to create a reliable system of a temperature control in such small term".[http://www.svengrahn.pp.se/histind/Sputnik2/sputnik2more.html Sputnik 2 was finally destroyed during re-entry on April 14, 1958, after 2,570 orbits.

Controversy

Sputnik 2 was not designed to be retrievable, so it was intended all along that Laika would die during the mission. The mission sparked a debate across the globe on the mistreatment of animals and animal testing in general to advance science. The mission was viewed by many, including some 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 Soviet embassies.

It can be speculated that these protests were politically motivated, at least in part. In the Soviet Union, there was less 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. However, in 1998, Oleg Gazenko, one of the leading scientists responsible for sending Laika into space, did express 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 the dog." ^*

Laika in Popular Culture

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.

On March 9, 2005, a patch of soil on Mars was unofficially named "Laika" by mission controllers. It is located near Vostok Crater in Meridiani Planum. It was examined by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's microscopic imager on Sol 400.

Literature

Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami references Laika several times throughout the novel.
Star Wreck 7: The Fido Frontier by Leah Rowlinski is a Star Trek parody in which it is discovered that Laika survived and made alien allies.
The Doctor Who novel Alien Bodies by Lawrence Miles tells of Laika's funeral on the planet Quiescia.
The novel Habitus by James Flint features Laika as one of its protagonists, based on the premise that she survives and continues to orbit the earth, having learned to draw sustenance from the world's radio transmissions.
The novel Intervention by Julian May mentions Laika's rescue by a sympathetic alien race called the Simbiari.
In the story Storming the Cosmos by Rudy Rucker and Bruce Sterling, Laika leads the protagonists to an alien artifact at the Tunguska event site.
In the novel Red Square by Martin Cruz Smith, one of the characters named their dog after Laika.
In the novel Weight: The Myth of Atlas and Heracles by Jeanette Winterson, the ancient Greek titan Atlas finds Laika's capsule in orbit and adopts the dog.
A short story in the second volume of the comic anthology Flight features a story by Doug Holgate based on Laika in which she lands on another planet.

Music

Domenico Modugno's Volare - later remade by the Gipsy Kings, among other bands - is centered around Laika's exploits.
A number of bands have taken inspiration from Laika for their names, including Laika Dog, Laika and the Cosmonauts and the eponymous Laika, whose first three albums all feature the canine cosmonaut in their cover art.
The Spanish pop group Mecano wrote a biographical song titled "Laika" on their 1987 album Descanso Dominical.
The band Moxy Früvous wrote a song titled "Laika" on their 1993 album Bargainville.
The Swedish band The Cardigans included a song titled "Laika" on their 1994 EP Sick and Tired.
Another Swedish band, Blipp!, has a song called "Laika" on their 2005 album Impulser.
The 1996 CCCP release "Cosmos," an album of mostly paeans to the Soviet space program, featured the song "Laika Laika," complete with Russian military men's chorus.
The Japanese singer Akino Arai wrote a song called "Sputnik" on her 2000 album "Furu Platinum" (Raining Platinum) about Laika and Kloka(the dog that was aboard the spaceship Soyuz 2)

English translation: "I was just recalling A story I heard when I was small The laika dog on Sputnik What was it's name again? While gazing at your back I finally realized That I will never see you again Kloka, kloka I go, ahead of you Kloka Kloka Surely come back"

The Reggae dub group Spacemonkeyz in 2002 released an album entitled Laika Come Home, an album of remixes of the music performed by Damon Albarn's Gorillaz.
Norwegian singer/songwriter Åge Aleksandersen released the album Laika in 1991, with the dog being remembered in the title track. The album flopped.
The Divine Comedy's 2004 album Absent Friends mourns Laika in the title track, and features an instrumental "Laika's Theme".
The Arcade Fire wrote a song called "Neighborhood #2 (Laïka)" on their debut LP, Funeral, in 2004. The song concerns a relative who is leaving the family, presumably to never return; the individuals singing the song remark that their mother should have named the leaving relative "Laika", since like the space dog he is never coming back.
Laika and the Cosmonauts is a Finnish pop band that has gained some national fame.
The band Polaris dedicated their album Music from the Adventures of Pete & Pete to Laika and Ham the Chimp.
Indie rock band Pond wrote a song about Laika called "My Dog is an Astronaut, Though" on their Rock Collection album.
The Argentinian band Massacre has a song titled "Laika se va" on their 1998 album Aerial.
The Calypso artist Slinger Francisco (also known as The Mighty Sparrow) wrote a song reflecting on the Soviet space program and the cruelity of poisoning Laika called "Russian Satellite"
David Johansen released a song entitled "Space Monkey" contained on the soundtrack for the 1995 movie Burnzy's Last Call. The song describes a fictional in-space love affair between Ham the Chimp and Laika and a comedic origin for the vanara Hanuman. Musically the song hearkens back to music of David Bowie with specific thematic refrences to his song "Space Oddity".
The Circle Jerks wrote a song titled "Dog" on their 1995 LP Oddities, Abnormalities and Curiosities in which they make a reference to Laika. However, the lyrics describe Laika having starved to death after several months in space, which is incorrect.
Akurat wrote a song titled "Bajka o Księżycu" (Fable About the Moon) where they allude nostalgically to Laika.
György Kurtág's tape composition Memoire de Laika (1990), written in collaboration with his son György Kurtág Jr., incorporates spoken text about Laika.

Cinema and TV

In the 1985 Swedish film My Life as a Dog (Mitt liv som hund) ^*, the protagonist - a contemporary boy who feels powerless over his own fate - poignantly compares himself to Laika. The movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay in 1989.
The Lost In Space episode One of our Dogs is Missing involves a dog coming out of a crashed spaceship; Judy confirms with Maureen that early ships did take up dogs (not mentioning Laika by name), but the origin of this dog is almost as unbelievable as the fact that it never appeared after the episode.
In 2005, Phil Knight, owner of Nike bought the Will Vinton Studio, and renamed it LAIKA. The studio produces animated commercials and feature films using CG and Stop-Motion techniques.

References

Angliss, Sarah and Uttley, Colin. Science in the Dock: The man who trained the space dogs. Retrieved January 28, 2005.
Anon. An Internet memorial to Laika. Retrieved September 1, 2004.
Chase, Robin. Muttnik: A Tribute to Laika. Retrieved January 28, 2005.
Grahn, Sven. Sputnik-2, more news from distant history. Retrieved September 1, 2004.
NSSDC Master Catalog: Sputnik 2 (2003-11-26). Retrieved September 1, 2004.
On This Day, November 3 - 1957: Russians launch dog into space. BBC News. Retrieved September 1, 2004.
Soviet Fires New Satellite, Carrying Dog; Half-Ton Sphere Is Reported 900 Miles Up (November 3, 1957). New York Times.
Whitehouse, David (October 28, 2002). First dog in space died within hours, BBC News Online.
Zak, Anatoly (November 3, 1999). The True Story of Laika the Dog. space.com.
Mars Exploration Rover Mission: Opportunity arrives at "Vostok". Retrieved March 24, 2005.

Animals in space | Famous dogs | Sputnik programme | Space program fatalities

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