Soviet space dogs

Dogs were the preferred animal for the experiments because scientists felt dogs were well suited to endure long periods of inactivity. As part of their training, they were confined in small boxes for 15–20 days at a time. Stray dogs, rather than animals accustomed to living in a house, were chosen because the scientists felt they would be able to tolerate the rigors and extreme stresses of space flight better than other dogs. Female dogs were preferred because of their temperament, and because the suit the dogs wore in order to collect urine and feces was equipped with a special device designed to work only with females. Their training included standing still for long periods of time, wearing space suits, being placed in a rocket-launch simulators, riding in centrifuges designed to mimic the high acceleration of liftoff, and being kept in progressively smaller cages to prepare them for the confines of the space module. Dogs that flew in orbit were fed a nutritious jelly-like protein. This was high in fiber and assisted the dogs to defecate during extended confinement in small space modules. More than 60% of dogs to enter space were reported to have been suffering from constipation and gallstones on arrival back to base. ==Sub-orbital flights==

Dogs were flown to an altitude of on board 15 scientific flights on R-1 rockets (itself a copy of the German V-2) from 1951 to 1956. The dogs wore pressure suits with acrylic glass bubble helmets. From 1957 to 1960, 11 flights with dogs were made on the R-2A series (developed from the R-1 missile) which flew to about . Three flights were made to an altitude of about on R-5A rockets in 1958. In the R-2 and R-5 rockets, the dogs were contained in a pressured cabin. Dezik, Tsygan, and Lisa-1 Dezik (Дезик) and Tsygan (Цыган, "Gypsy") were the first dogs to make a sub-orbital flight and successfully recovered on 22 July 1951. Smelaya and Ryzhik Smelaya (Смелая, "Brave" or "Courageous", fem.) made a flight with a dog named Ryzhik (Рыжик, "Ginger" (red-haired)) on 19 August 1951. Snezhinka was renamed Zhemchuzhnaya (Жемчужная, "pearly") after the first flight. On the first mission, the dogs were flown with a rabbit named Marfusa. Otvazhnaya also made two flights with a dog named Palma-2 on 2 and 13 August 1958. She went on to make at least five flights between 1958-1960. Albina and Kozyavka Albina (Альбина) and Kozyavka (Козявка "Booger") made 2 flights on 7 and 14 June 1956. Damka and Krasavka Damka (Дамка, "queen of checkers") and Krasavka (Красавка, "little beauty" or "Belladonna") were to make an orbital flight on 22 December 1960 as a part of the Vostok programme which also included mice. However their mission was marked by a string of equipment failures. The upper-stage rocket failed and the craft re-entered the atmosphere after reaching a sub-orbital apogee of . In the event of unscheduled return to the surface, the craft was to eject the dogs and self-destruct, but the ejection seat failed and the primary destruct mechanism shorted out. The animals were thus still in the intact capsule when it returned to the surface. The backup self-destruct mechanism was set to a 60-hour timer, so a team was quickly sent out to locate and recover the capsule. Although the capsule was reached in deep snow on the first day, there was insufficient remaining daylight to disarm the self-destruct mechanism and open the capsule. The team could only report that the window was frosted over in the degree temperatures and no signs of life were detected. On the second day, however, the dogs were heard barking as the capsule was opened. The dogs were wrapped in sheepskin coats and flown to Moscow alive, though all the mice aboard the capsule were found dead because of the cold. Damka was also known as Shutka (Шутка, "Joke") or Zhemchuzhnaya (Жемчужная, "Pearly") and Krasavka was also known as Kometka (Кометка, "Little Comet") or Zhulka (Жулька, "Cheater"). After this incident Krasavka was adopted by Oleg Gazenko, a leading Soviet scientist working with animals used in space flights. She went on to have puppies and continued living with Gazenko and his family until her death 14 years later. Bars and Lisichka Bars (Барс (pron. "Barss"); "snow leopard") and Lisichka (Лисичка, "little fox") were also on a mission to orbit as a part of the Vostok programme, but died after their rocket exploded 28.5 seconds into the launch on 28 July 1960. Bars was also known as Chayka (Чайка, "seagull"). Other dogs that flew on sub-orbital flights include Dymka (Дымка, "smoky"), Modnitsa (Модница, "fashionista") and Kozyavka (Козявка, "booger"). At least four other dogs flew in September 1961, and two or more were lost. ==Orbital flights==

Laika on a Romanian post stamp On 3 November 1957 Laika (Лайка, "barker") flew to space on Sputnik 2 to become the first Earth-born creature (other than microbes) to orbit the planet. Laika's true cause of death was not made public until October 2002; officials previously gave reports that she died when the oxygen supply ran out. At a Moscow press conference in 1998 Oleg Gazenko, a senior Soviet scientist involved in the project, stated "The more time passes, the more I'm sorry about it. We did not learn enough from the mission to justify the death of the dog...". Belka and Strelka Belka (Белка, literally, "squirrel", or alternatively "Whitey") and Strelka (Стрелка, "little arrow") spent a day in space aboard Korabl-Sputnik 2 (Sputnik 5) on 19 August 1960 before safely returning to Earth. and gave birth to many descendants. Pchyolka and Mushka Pchyolka (Пчёлка, "little bee") and Mushka (Мушка, "little fly") spent a day in orbit on 1 December 1960 on board Korabl-Sputnik-3 (Sputnik 6) with "other animals", plants and insects. Mushka was one of the three dogs trained for Sputnik 2 and was used during ground tests. with a cosmonaut dummy (whom Soviet officials nicknamed Ivan Ivanovich), mice and a guinea pig. The dummy was ejected out of the capsule during re-entry and made a soft landing using a parachute. Chernushka was recovered unharmed inside the capsule. Zvyozdochka Zvyozdochka (Zvezdochka, Звёздочка, "starlet"), who was named by Yuri Gagarin, made one orbit on board Korabl-Sputnik 5 on 25 March 1961 with a wooden cosmonaut dummy, and other animals in the final practice flight before Gagarin's historic flight on 12 April. ==See also==