The Soviet Union launched Sputnik 2 with Laika aboard on Nov. 3, 1957, making the Moscow stray the first animal to orbit Earth. The spacecraft had no system to bring her back, and Laika died within hours as the capsule overheated, according to later accounts [space.com][astronomy.com][mondo.ba]. The flight came less than a month after Sputnik 1 and aimed to test how a living organism responded to launch and weightlessness. Sensors transmitted Laika’s vital signs to Earth, but Soviet officials initially said she had survived for days. Details of her early death from overheating became public decades later [yam.com][mondo.ba]. Sputnik 2 remained in orbit until it burned up on re-entry on April 14, 1958 [astronomy.com][mondo.ba]. Highlights: • Flight response: During the ride to orbit, Laika’s heart rate reached 260 beats per minute, about three times normal, and her breathing increased four to five times above usual [reddit.com]. • Cabin design: The dog cabin measured about 0.8 metres long and 0.64 metres in diameter and included a small window and television camera [reddit.com]. • Ethical legacy: Laika’s mission helped draw public attention to the ethics of animal experiments in space exploration [yam.com]. • Earlier animal tests: Before Laika’s orbital flight, the United States had sent fruit flies on a suborbital flight, while the Soviet Union had conducted suborbital dog tests [yam.com]. Perspectives: Soviet scientists: Scientists later expressed regret that they had allowed Laika to die during the mission [pmo.ee]. (Postimees) Animal-protection groups: Animal-welfare campaigners protested outside the Soviet Embassy after the mission. The launch also prompted numerous complaints to a British broadcaster [yam.com]. (DQ (Yam)) Sources: • On this day in space! Nov. 3, 1957: Laika the dog launches with Sputnik 2 - space.com • On this day, in 1957, the dog Laika became the first earthling to go into orbit. - reddit.com • Daily Quiz: On the early Space Race - thehindu.com • Nov. 3, 1957: The flight of Laika - astronomy.com • TÄNA AJALOOS ⟩ Tänavakoerast Laikast sai esimene elusolend orbiidil - pmo.ee • 首隻登上太空的狗狗「萊卡」：一趟沒有返航計畫的太空任務 - yam.com • Na današnji dan Lajka poletjela u svemir: Prvi pas u orbiti nikada se nije vratio kući - mondo.ba • On This Day in Space History: November 3 - newspaceeconomy.ca --- 📰 Story aggregated by Kagi News