November 3rd

On this day – November 3, 1957 – Sputnik2, with the dog Laika, was launched into orbit

Sputnik 2 was launched by the Soviet Union almost a month after Sputnik 1. Sputnik 2 is most famous because it contained a dog, Laika, who thereby became the first animal to enter the earth’s orbit. The spacecraft also contained a radio transmitter, a programming unit and a temperature-control system. Laika was a 6kg large dog of unknown breed. She had been selected out of 10 other possible dogs. Her compartment in the spacecraft was large enough for her to bot lie down and stand, and it was fitted with food and water. Sadly, Laika only survived a few hours in the spacecraft due to overheating. The spacecraft orbited the earth for 162 days.