5h 31min, nov 3, 1957 y - Laika The Space Dog Is Sent Into Orbit

Description:

On November 3, 1957, Laika the cosmonaut dog was sent into space. The flight preparation process was rushed to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the Bolshevik revolution. As a result of the rush, scientists could not create a system to get Laika back to Earth. Instead, they planned that she would die from lack of oxygen on day 7. This was how the Russian space program reported the event, but it was revealed half a century later that Laika had actually died due to overheating when the heat shield was lost. Despite the loss of Laika, Sputnik 2 proved that life could survive in space. This was a monumental event that changed the course of space flight forever.

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