Spotlight:Laika became the first animal to be sent into space on this date in 1957. The Soviet Union had launched the mongrel into orbit aboard Sputnik 2, the second manmade satellite. Unfortunately, no provisions had been made for the dog's safe return and Laika died in space. Her sacrifice paved the way for humans to successfully travel in space, proving that living beings could survive weightlessness. Other animals, including American mice and Soviet dogs, had been sent on brief suborbital trips into space before Laika's journey.
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Spotlight: Laika became the first animal to be sent into space on this date in 1957. The Soviet Union had launched the mongrel into orbit aboard Sputnik 2, the second manmade satellite. Unfortunately, no provisions had been made for the dog's safe return and Laika died in space. Her sacrifice paved the way for humans to successfully travel in space, proving that living beings could survive weightlessness. Other animals, including American mice and Soviet dogs, had been sent on brief suborbital trips into space before Laika's journey.
