A significant event has taken place. In November, a dog was sent into space. This is the first mammal on the planet that has been in space orbit. However, this event is more sad than joyful. Laika was sent into space. The astronaut dog gave the man a lot of information about the flight, but she herself died.
Flight preparation
Literally twelve days before the launch of the rocket, a candidate for cosmonauts was found. At the last moment, the choice of scientists fell on the dog, and not on other mammals. Perhaps because this animal is the most loved among the people. And the astronaut dog will become the favorite of the people, the scientists decided.
The candidate was taken from a pet shelter. They decided not to take a thoroughbred dog, as they are less adapted to difficult conditions. there was a light color of the animal's coat, so that it turned out better in photographs. The first dog-astronaut - Laika, which was taken from an ordinary shelter.
astronaut training
Preparations began almost immediately after the launch, which instantly became famous. The idea with the flight of an animal is an attempt to consolidate the success of the Soviet Union in general and in the space industry in particular. The country did not have any well-thought-out drawings and developments in this area. We designed the device on the go, immediately bringing ideas to life. Laika (the astronaut dog) also received special training.
It was clear to everyone that this flight would be only one way. It was not known only the time that the dog could stretch before his death in
Flight
During takeoff, enormous overloads fell upon the dog. She was pressed into the container, but she heroically endured everything. Initially, the dog did not create any special amenities for a long stay in orbit.
The creators of the apparatus thought that the dog would die 6 days after launch, when the apparatus ran out of electricity. But the unexpected happened. Laika survived only a few hours. The cause of death was excessive heating of the aircraft under the rays of the sun. Laika, the first astronaut dog to orbit the Earth, died in the name of science.
The tragedy of the whole world
The whole world was in sorrow. In the media of many countries there were reports about the fate of the shaggy creature. Animal activists called Khrushchev a flayer, and demonstrations and other protests were organized. Mankind, which enthusiastically accepted the news of the launch of the first artificial satellite, is waiting for the death of its four-legged friend. They did not need such progress.
Western countries were already commemorating Laika, and in the Soviet Union, the media continued to inform the people about the condition of the already dead dog. Only on the eighth day there was a message about communication problems with the space satellite. Subsequently, the USSR reported that the animal had allegedly been euthanized. And so Laika went down in history. The astronaut dog allowed engineers to take into account many features of the aircraft in order to send a person into space in the future.
Public opinion
The Soviet people did not like this news. The reason was this: people did not know that this flight was originally scheduled one way. Citizens hoped to see the hero of this space flight after his return to Earth. Because of this, the achievement of domestic astronautics seemed not so bright. But in fact, colossal conclusions were made, Laika (a dog-cosmonaut) became the hero. Photos of the animal are available in all museums of astronautics.
The death of the dog was especially painful for the younger generation. From above, it was instructed to conduct explanatory conversations among schoolchildren that:
- The development of outer space is important for the country.
- The life of a dog is incomparable compared to the prospects that open up.
- Laika is now known all over the world, and before that she was unknown to anyone.
But the people could not calm down for a long time. One could even hear the joke that Khrushchev himself was the next to fly into space. Citizens sent proposals to Moscow to award the mongrel the title of Hero of the Soviet Union posthumously and even to award her a military rank. Rumor has it that this issue was even discussed in the government.
The authorities at that time had not yet learned how to influence public opinion. They decided to act in the following way: new cigarettes and Laika cigarettes appeared on the market. Perhaps in government circles, they hoped that the feelings of empathy and grief of citizens would turn into smoke. There was an idea to release other products with the same name, but later this idea was abandoned - it could have been too much. Nevertheless, the heroically dead Laika (the astronaut dog) became a world celebrity. Although she was the most ordinary mongrel who accidentally ended up in a shelter.
