Sputnik 2 was a Soviet spacecraft launched on November 3, 1957, just one month after the successful launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1. Unlike its predecessor, which was a simple sphere with a radio transmitter, Sputnik 2 was much larger and more complex. It weighed approximately 1,120 kg and was equipped with a life support system, a telemetry system, and a reentry system. But what made Sputnik 2 so significant was that it carried a living creature, a dog named Laika, who became the first animal to orbit the Earth.

Laika was a stray dog found on the streets of Moscow. She was selected for the mission because of her size, temperament, and the fact that she had already survived a number of other tests and procedures. Before the flight, Laika was trained to eat a special high-nutrition gel, to be strapped into a special harness, and to remain motionless for long periods of time.

Unfortunately, the mission was not designed to be a safe return flight for Laika. The technology to safely return a living creature from orbit had not yet been developed, so it was a one-way mission. The goal of the mission was to study the effects of spaceflight on a living creature, with a particular focus on the effects of radiation and weightlessness.

Sputnik 2 was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and entered orbit around the Earth. Laika was alive for several hours after launch, and her vital signs were monitored remotely. However, the spacecraft’s thermal control system failed, and temperatures inside the spacecraft rose rapidly. After just a few hours in orbit, Laika died from overheating.

The announcement of Laika’s death provoked an international outcry. Animal rights activists and others criticized the Soviet Union for putting a living creature in such a dangerous and deadly situation. The mission also had a significant impact on the space race, as it demonstrated the Soviet Union’s technological prowess in space exploration and intensified the competition between the Soviet Union and the United States.

In the years since the mission, Laika has become a cultural icon and a symbol of both the early days of space exploration and the ethical questions surrounding the use of animals in scientific research. Despite the controversy and tragedy surrounding the mission, it remains a landmark achievement in the history of space exploration and a testament to human ingenuity and curiosity.