November 3, 1957: Laika is the first in orbit.
On this day the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2 with the dog Leica. She paved the way to space for everyone who flew after her.
1 rush for the anniversary. The satellite was prepared for the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution. The task is to find out how a living creature will survive the launch and the weightlessness.
2 selection of ten mixes. We chose Leica - at first it was called Kudryavka. There was no condition for return.
3 Three days in the cockpit before the start. We found a fault and fixed it in three days. Laika stayed inside. Before the start, the doctor took her home: "I wanted to do something nice for her. After all, she didn't have much time to live."
4 flight and death. Laika moved the launch into orbit, but the cabin overheated and the dog died. Sputnik 2 burned up in the atmosphere on April 14, 1958.
Conclusion: Leica's flight proved: a living being is able to withstand orbit and weightlessness. Gagarin joked: "Who am I - the first man or the last dog? "Many true words are said in jest. Eternal memory for the heroine.