Space Dog - Tumblr Posts

Sputnik 2, launched on November 3, 1957, carried the dog Laika, the first living creature to be shot into space and orbit Earth. Laika was a stray dog found on the streets of Moscow. There were no plans to return her to Earth, and she lived only a few hours in orbit. …

taken from @gallivantsofgillis on tiktok

Laika the dog was the first animal sent into orbit around Earth. Pretty amazing for a stray dog plucked from the streets of Moscow! Unfortunately for Laika, a stray dog was used because the Soviets never planned for the dog to come back. The spacecraft, Sputnik 2, was launched into orbit, tracked to check it was successful, then abandoned. Laika died after about five hours in space.

Fifty-one years after her flight, in 2008, a memorial was put in place to celebrate Laika’s flight. Placed outside a military research station, the statue shows Laika perched on a rocket which transforms into a hand cupping the dog.

sometimes i feel just like laika on her cursed one-way trip

she fell straight to the moon on her love-made rocket ship

her last words were these, all alone in outer space:

"i never knew the moon would be the last ball i'd chase"