Aboard the Soviet's Sputnik 2, Laika, a dog, became the very first living creature to enter orbit on November 3, 1957. Laika's death sparked debates about animal rights around the world. Space Race Facts for kids: Sputnik - Laika, the First Dog in Space (1958) Sputnik II would follow, carrying Laika, the first dog in space. Bioastronautics is an area of bioengineering research which spans the study and support of life in space. Alan Shepard, the first American in space, didn’t make his flight until a chimpanzee named Ham had done it safely. Though all three did well, … So both the Soviets and the American missions started out by sending animals, to make sure that they would live. Let's look at Russia's space dogs first, then the other animals in space. Laika, the first dog in space, a site for children. First dog in space died within hours. In the early years of space exploration, scientists didn’t know what kind of effect traveling in space would have on human beings. As the spacecraft blasted off of the Earth and into space, Laika panicked. Timeline of life science research in space. She was one of a number of stray dogs that were taken into the Soviet spaceflight program after being rescued from the streets. However, since the Soviets did not create a re-entry plan, Laika died in space. Her name is Laika, which means "barker" in Russian. The Soviet Union launches a female dog into space on Sputnik II. The Sad, Sad Story of Laika, the Space Dog, and Her One-Way Trip into Orbit A stray Moscow pup traveled into orbit in 1957 with one meal and only a seven-day oxygen supply Laika was a small (13 pounds [6 kg]), even-tempered, mixed-breed dog about two years of age. At least 10 more dogs were launched into space and on sub-orbital flights by the Soviets until April 12, 1961, when Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. Top 3 Animals That Can Live Without Oxygen Anywhere In The… February 28, 2020 Only female dogs were used because they were considered to be anatomically better suited than males for close confinement. And John Glenn didn’t go into orbit until Enos the chimp tried it first. She lives for seven days, proving that animals (and presumably humans) can survive in space. Animals in Space a Student Feature from NASAexplores. Near the end of the 1950s, the U.S.S.R. was preparing to send a dog into orbit above Earth. When Laika became weightless, she started to calm down. Alan Shepard became the first American in space when the Freedom 7 spacecraft blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on May 5, 1961, aboard a Mercury-Redstone rocket. Non-human animals in space originally served to test the survivability of spaceflight, before human spaceflights were attempted.