Why and how did Laika die in space?

Answer 1

Laika died within hours after launch from Hyperthermia,Answers.compossibly due to a failure of the central R-7 sustainer to separate from the payload.Answers.comThe true cause and time of her death was not made public until 2002; instead, it was widely reported that she died when her oxygen ran out, or (as the Soviets initially insisted) she was euthanised prior to oxygen depletion. However, the experiment proved that a living passenger could survive being launched into orbit and endure Weightlessness. It paved the way for Human_spaceflightand provided scientists with some of the first data on how living Organismreact to spaceflight environments. On April 11, 2008, Russian officials unveiled a monument to Laika. A small monument in her honor was built near the military research facility in Moscow which prepared Laika's flight to space. It features a dog standing on top of a rocket.Answers.comAnswers.com

Answer 2

It was revealed many years after the fact that Laika had died of overheating about five to six hours after the flight began, (fourth orbit) mostly because of a malfunction in a booster separation tearing away some insulation from the capsule. Laika was never expected to live once launched, but the Russians for a long time told of a more humane way she was euthanized. In reality, the humane system of euthanizing the dog that had been planned on had not been consructed by the "go" deadline, and it was assumed Laika would die when her oxygen ran out. But she actually died of overheating. Her remains - as well as the capsule itself - were burned up on the capsules re-entry about five months later.