On November 3, 1957, a small mixed-breed stray named Laika lifted off from Kazakhstan inside a metal capsule strapped to the top of a Soviet rocket. She was about 3 years old and weighed around 13 pounds, picked up off the streets of Moscow only weeks before. Engineers chose strays because they figured a dog who had survived a cold Russian winter could survive almost anything. Laika became the first living creature to actually orbit Earth, looping around the planet far above the clouds.
Getting her ready was a rush job. The Soviet Union wanted to launch Sputnik 2 just one month after their first satellite, Sputnik 1, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their revolution. There wasn't time to design a way to bring her back, so the engineers built a one-way capsule with food, water, and sensors taped to her chest to send back her heartbeat and breathing. Laika trained by sitting in smaller and smaller boxes and riding in spinning machines that mimicked rocket forces. She seemed calm on launch day.
For decades the Soviets said Laika orbited peacefully for days, but in 2002 they admitted she only survived a few hours because the capsule overheated. Her flight proved that living things could survive launch and weightlessness, paving the way for human astronauts. Today a small monument near Moscow shows Laika standing proudly on top of a rocket, ears perked, gazing up - the little street dog who showed humans the way to the stars.
