Laika carried the hopes of the Soviet nation on her shoulders, a symbol of hope for all Russia. Laika had been a stray, found wandering in the streets of Moscow in search of a master. They say that dogs often take after their masters, but Laika had had to forge her own character. This is the true story of Laika. She was three years old and weighed six kilograms. Her small size made her perfect for the mission. Her sleek, adorable face would be on all the front pages. They needed to give her a name, a heroic name that would remain etched in the nation’s memory. At first, the Soviets wanted to call her “Koudriavka”, which means “little curly hair.” But in the end they called her Laika, which means “little barker.” Laika was a lively, talkative dog. An undomesticated dog who needed to be trained and taught to behave for space flight: she would need to be steadfast, loyal and perseverant.
The Americans weren’t happy about Laika. Far from being proud of her, they called her “Muttnik” or “the bastard dog.” The Russians were not to be outdone. The dog underwent extensive training. She was taught to stay confined in a cramped capsule, to do her business without lifting her leg, to never bark, groan or fidget. Sputnik 2 was equipped with a life support system that included a carbon dioxide generator and a ventilator to keep Laika cool. The dog wore a specially made spacesuit with straps to limit her movement in the cramped cabin. Her survival would be the joy of an entire nation.
Laika was the first living thing to be put into orbit around the Earth. She would travel around the globe at hundreds of kilometres per hour. She was launched by the USSR on board the Sputnik 2 spacecraft, on November 3rd 1957. Following the success of the Sputnik 1 mission, Nikita Khrushchev demanded that a living being be sent into space to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the Russian Revolution. This would show the entire world the might of Soviet technology, the power of the USSR and its superiority over the USA, capitalism and liberalism.
As planned, Laika would find international renown. Her name would be spoken around the world. People were both impressed and unnerved by the pace of scientific progress and the means being taken to achieve it. In France, the Society for the Protection of Animals sent a communiqué to the Soviet embassy, which read: “It is with profound emotion and disgust that we have learned that an innocent being, a dog, man’s best friend, a female specimen of a young age, will be sacrificed on the altar of science and human vindictiveness, in order to justify an unspoken war, a cowardly and base affair, which will result in certain death, devoid of meaning and without any misgiving, all in the name of science.”
Indeed, poor Laika was found dead aboard Sputnik 2 after spending seven hours in space. The world paid tribute to her: the dog’s likeness was sculpted into the Monument to the Conquerors of Space, erected in 1964. In 2008, a statue was inaugurated close to the complex in Moscow where Laika was trained for her mission. She was featured on a number of stamps issued in countries around the former Soviet Bloc. The French were devastated at her loss, nicknaming her “Frisette” or “Curly”. A monument was erected at the animal cemetery in Villepinte, where one may still read the engraving: “To Frisette and all those who, like her, have died without tribute, martyrs to science.”
Alan Alfredo Geday