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Russians Reveal Early Death of Laika

Posted by michael on from the where-no-dog-had-gone-before dept.

jonerik writes "Contrary to long-believed Soviet reports that Laika the space dog - the first living animal to be launched into orbit from Earth - lived for a week or so after she was launched into orbit aboard Sputnik 2 in November 1957, CNN is now reporting that Dimitri Malashenkov of the Institute for Biomedical Problems in Moscow has presented a scientific paper at the World Space Congress in Houston, Texas in which he revealed that Laika actually died a few hours after launch due to thermal insulation problems overheating the cabin interior. Sputnik 2 remained in orbit a total of 162 days, before burning up in the atmosphere on April 14, 1958."

11 of 72 comments (clear)

  1. of course she died. by jericho4.0 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The original story didn't make much sense.Seeing that the room for payload in sputnik-2 was probably on the order of 20lbs, how could she have lived for a few weeks without food and water?

    --
    "A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming, is not worth knowing" - Alan Perlis
  2. Ethics of this by Locke!Erasmus · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I'm really surprised they didn't include a humane method of euthanizing the animal in the spacecraft. I think it's very sad.

    --
    I should have picked out the nickname Demosthenes!Tecumseh.
    1. Re:Ethics of this by !splut · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Well, it was a biological experiment, not just a technogical one. It was important that they observe the dog's unadulterated biological reaction to the weightless environment. What if weightlessness had some acute biological consequence?

      In the end, they did gather important data about life support in space capsules ("don't insulate so well"). So, yea, I agree it wasn't humane treatment, but at least it wasn't gratuitous.

      --
      The angel in the oatmeal.
  3. science books by eamonman · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Funny how the old science books from way back in middle school neglect to mention that she never came back alive after being the first animal in space. I guess you don't want kids unecessarily grieving over an acheivement that only merits a few sentences. Oh well, I suppose it wouldn't be in a science book's editor's interest to turn a young budding scientist into a young budding animal rights activist.

    --
    0- Eamonman Proud member of DNRC
    1. Re:science books by Mr.+Slippery · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Oh well, I suppose it wouldn't be in a science book's editor's interest to turn a young budding scientist into a young budding animal rights activist.


      You speak as if the two are mutually exclusive.

      Science has continually worked against anthrocentrism - the belief than humans are somehow "special" in the universe. The philosophy of animal rights is simply the application of this anti-anthrocentrism to ethical questions.

      --
      Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
      You cannot wash away blood with blood
    2. Re:science books by The+Red+Rooster · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The philosophy of animal rights is simply the application of this anti-anthrocentrism to ethical questions.

      Ummm...NO.

      Animal Rights is a form of anthropomorphising, attributing (wrongly) human traits to animals.

      To quote:

      <whine>
      "Animals have feelings too..."
      </whine>

      Eradicating the rather silly belief that humans are somehow 'special' would have the result of allowing Gov't funded research, here in the US, of embryonic stemcells.

      --
      There are 10 kinds of people, those who understand binary and those who don't.
  4. Re:Makes me sick! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Would you prefer they sent a person up as an initial test?.. yourself perhaps?

  5. they are not "animal" rights organizations.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    they are pet rights organizations.. they dont give a shit about beef and poultry, but if its cute and cuddly and can be bought at a pet store, it all the sudden deserves rights..

    if we kept pet cows or chickens or pigs in USA, and ate dogs, and china ate cows/chickens/pigs, the "animal" rights whackos would protest that instead...

  6. Make all the jokes you want... by SexyKellyOsbourne · · Score: 5, Insightful

    But having a dog burn to death is a terrible, terrible thing.

    Our house burnt down when I was 6, and I watched as our family's golden retriever -- coincidentally named "Lucky" -- was trapped under a burning dresser it slept by in the living room. It let out howls of torment that haunt me to this day as it died slowly being helplessly charred as my mom covered my tearful eyes and my father was unable to save it.

    So please show some respect for Laika.

  7. Re:Makes me sick! by f97tosc · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I never heard of this history. To think that they launched that poor defenseless puppy knowing full well that it would eventually die of starvation/lack of oxygen is horrible. Such inhumane treatment. The people that did this should be ashamed!

    We humans kill animals for a large number of reasons: food, clothing, entertainment and science.

    Out of these, the animals killed for science are relatively limited in numbers, but large in their payoff to man. In this case the payoff was priceless information about how to set up a cabin.

    If you are so concerned about animals I suggest you focus your struggle on the entertainment portion (hunting, animal fights), then food and clothing, science last.

    Tor

  8. Re:Was there a plan to put her down? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    to at least make Laika's death fast and relatively humane.

    A humane -life- before Laika's death would have been nice, also.