Laika the Space Dog was one of the first animals to orbit Earth in November 1957, though sadly she was never meant to return.



    by freudian_nipps

    41 Comments

    1. freudian_nipps on

      A stray from the streets of Moscow, she was selected for her small size and passive nature. As the technology to re-enter the atmosphere had not yet been developed, Laika’s survival was never expected. She died of hyperthermia hours into the flight, on the craft’s fourth orbit.

      The true cause and time of her death were not made public until 2002. In 2008, a small monument to Laika depicting her standing atop a rocket was unveiled near the military research facility in Moscow that prepared her flight.

      Edit: when looking at past events through our modern moral lens, it’s easy to see this is a clear breach of animal ethics, of course this was before animal ethics existed… but does it even exist now?

    2. Instead of improving the life of their citizens, the Soviets spent untold resources to cook a dog alive, and for what? To show off? For pro-communist propaganda? And they couldn’t even “honor” her “sacrifice” until 2008?

      Fuck the USSR. Disgusting government run by disgusting people with disgusting politics.

    3. It’s not that this isn’t interesting per se, but this is extremely common knowledge, right?

    4. OnTheList-YouTube on

      “This is scary, but I trust you people…. I’m gonna be brave for you…”

    5. -HermanMunster- on

      This makes me sick to my stomach every time I read abt it. Completely disgusting and unnecessary. How can you look at her eye and do that? Sick.

    6. Yeah this isn’t some brave dog hero. She had a calm demeanor and they sent her off to freeze to death. Cruel as fuck.

    7. Ordinary_Resident_20 on

      There’s a great song called Laika by Sticky Fingers, written for this dog and what it must have been like to be abandoned in space

    8. Mental_Thing_7899 on

      Hope she was saved by aliens and genetically modified to be intelligent, immortal and indestructible. Soon to be deployed back to Moscow with a fleet of destruction bots at its command to bring vengeance.

    9. There is a… 6… issue 2021 comic book series called Primordial by Jeff Lemire which gives Laika and the other animals that were sent into space on one way trips a happier ending.

    10. PunkRockHardcore on

      I should have taken a prisoner or volunteers.

      But a puppy? The most loving being that exists towards humans?

      Sorry, Laika…

    11. AGrandNewAdventure on

      The first living thing we send into orbit as mankind, and we are blasé about its life. Says a lot about us as a species.

    12. Over 90% of the people in this thread clutching their pearls over this animal abuse don’t give a second thought to the daily torture and horrors that led to their dinner.

    13. I always like with this how people act as if she would not have been dissected the minute she had touched down, as is the fate of most animals that went to space at the time.

    14. Mammoth_Effective_68 on

      This makes me sick. Innocent animal exposed to such profound cruelty. Then murdered.

    15. Im not even a dog person but her sat there like a puppy with her paws and tongue how tf could they allow this to happen :’l even in the name of science its cruel man my heart breaks man… fuck now im mad and sad

    16. stonerbaby369 on

      Everytime I see something about Laika on social media, it just breaks my heart😪 poor baby

    17. whipster444453 on

      she actually didnt even make it to space as the thermal shielding failed. also it was sadly not the only instance of the USSR exploiting dogs as during WW2 they tried training to run under enemy tanks while strapped with explosives… witch didnt work all that well…..

    18. Logical_Panda277 on

      Every time I think about poor laika not coming home I burst into inconsolable tears 😭

    19. I was seven yrs old at the time; our dad was a mechanical engineer and fascinated with the space project. Unfortunately, he described in detail what happened to Laika…as more satellites were launched in the next few years, he’d take us out at night to watch them blinking overhead. I would say a Hail Mary for Laika…

    20. TheoremNumberA on

      I could see her like, wow that is the biggest blue tennis ball I have ever seen.

      To me if they knew she would not return safely, they should have released a gas into the craft to send her to sleep.

    Leave A Reply