This is Laika, the first living creature in space. She went to space on Sputnik 2, on November 3rd, 1957. She died that same day of panic and heat exhaustion. However, the world was told she had survived for a week, and then died painlessly. Most other dogs survived. Stray dogs from the streets of Moscow were chosen because dogs are easy to train and can form bonds with their human trainers.
These are Belka and Strelka, the first dogs to survive a trip to space! They were sent to space in 1960 and survived. They were afraid and started barking, but medical data showed that they were pretty calm and they were happy once they landed. Also fun fact: Strelka gave birth to puppies and one of them was given to John F. Kennedy and named Pushinka. The FBI had to screen the dog for surveillance bugs. When Pushinka had a litter of puppies, two of them, (who were nicknamed Pupniks) were given to children that had asked Jackie Kennedy if they could look after her dogs. After JFK was assassinated, Pushinka was given to a gardener at the White House and had another litter of puppies. Pushinka wasn't just a cute dog; she was a symbol of peace and lowering tensions between Russia and the US.
This is a photo of Pushinka at the White House. Her name literally translates to Fluffy in Russian. Pushinka was very high-strung and eventually, she stopped playing with the Kennedy children as she was raised in a science lab and then had to adjust to life in the White House, which is understandably quite different and challenging.
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-24837199
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20171027-the-stray-dogs-that-paved-the-way-to-the-stars
This was such a great post Brooke! It is really interesting that Belka and Strelka survived the trip to space. Apparently, Laika was a very good dog and her human counterpart who had cared for her before her trip to space took her home with him to play with the children. He apparently wanted to do something nice for her because she had so little time to live. On one hand I can see this as being kind, however, I still think it is unbelievably cruel to give an animal hope when in reality they are going to die quite soon. As you mentioned when the Soviet's sent Laika into space, they lied about how she died. When the real story leaked, the USSR actually had to do some damage control and he claimed that the Soviet's love dogs but Laika's death was the best to benefit humanity.
ReplyDeletehttp://time.com/3546215/laika-1957/
Brooke -- Thank you for the post! It is very refreshing to learn about man's best friend and their crucial role in our history. Dogs have taken on a significant role in politics, we all know the beloved animals of the White House and the certain breeds associated with certain roles (German Shepherds with law enforcements, Dalmatians with fire fighters, Cocker Spaniels with European Royalty etc...). It saddens me to learn that the Russians lied about the death of the beloved pooch but also makes me wonder how strict animal testing was back then? It also was incredibly depressing to realize that Pushinka had difficulty adjusting to JFK's family because of her past experience, showing the sensitivity of dogs and their importance in mending relationships.
ReplyDeleteSources:
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/white-house-pets/top-dogs-at-the-white-house