#LAIKA

[catmask]

various laikas i doodled for warmups, then colored

[foone]

So, Laika. I see people talking about her recently because it's been 67 years...

But I want to clear up some things:

1. She died for political reasons

2. They did not know how to bring her back.

3. If they'd planned to bring her back, it wouldn't have worked.

To explain: Laika was in Sputnik 2. The launch window for Sputnik 2 was chosen so it'd be the 40th anniversary of the October Revolution, which meant the rocket designers had less than four weeks to design the rocket & capsule. Politicians wanting to have a good PR of a cool space rocket story also influenced the Challenger disaster: politicians always want results faster, and space does not respect haste.

Secondly, this was the SECOND ARTIFICIAL SATELLITE EVER. No one in the world knew how to safely return anything to earth, so from the moment launching a dog was chosen, it was always going to be a one way trip. They tried to make it as comfortable as possible for the dog, yes, but they knew if they launched anything it wouldn't come back. They didn't even know if she'd survive in space? Can animals live in the low-gravity high-radiation environment of space? We didn't know if it was even possible before Laika!

Thirdly: if they had planned to bring her back, it wouldn't have worked. They planned for her to have seven days of food, and the last days of food was poisoned. She'd be gently euthanized.

It didn't work. The rocket core didn't properly detach from the capsule, which fucked the thermal regulation. The capsule overheated, and she died within 5-7 hours of the launch.

If they'd planned some elaborate untested return system, it would have activated after the seven days of the planned orbits. Laika would have been long dead by then.

My point is not to say they did nothing wrong (even one of the scientists who designed Sputnik 2 has said it wasn't worth it: they didn't learn anything useful from sending Laika up), but that you shouldn't misunderstand the context. This was a highly experimental launch, it was politically motivated, and even if they'd tried to bring Laika back, she'd have ended up dead.

And the scientists knew that last bit was likely the case when they decided to do this! They knew they didn't know how to bring animals back to the earth, so they didn't try. If they'd tried, the same result would mostly happen: a dead dog in space.

It wasn't just a matter of "not caring" about her life. They thought this could be a useful contribution to science, the first animal in space... They were wrong. And they were always regretful that Laika died for science, especially since they got so little from it.

All future launches with animals were designed to be returned to earth, and those helped pave the way for humans in space. Dogs were used to to test the Vostok spacecraft that later carried Yuri Gagarin to orbit, making him the first man in space.

My point is that they were never uncaring of the safety of Laika: they thought this was the best of a bad situation and then it got worse. This experiment was not repeated and Laika was mourned. If you need to blame anyone, blame Khrushchev.

[anxiety-junkie]

There is a FANTASTIC Stucky fic about this!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15829134/chapters/36855021

I drew a little something for the Hiveworks micro comic summer~

[featherwhiskered]

🌟 do you think she ever knew she was the prettiest star of them all?

[totally-not-an-awkward-okapi]

While Laika was the name popularized around the world, she had many nicknames including Kudryavka (Russian for Little Curly), Zhuchka (Little Bug), and Limonchik (Little Lemon).

[vuelode-irbis]

[...] Y si hacemos caso a la leyenda, entonces tendremos que pensar que en la Tierra hay una perra menos y en el cielo una estrella más Y en el cielo una estrella más. Preparado está ya el cohete para zarpar El control en tierra dice a Laika adiós Adiós, adiós, adiós...

"Laika" by Mecano (1988)

[ID: digital drawing of Laika, the dog that was launched to space by the Soviet Union on November 3rd, 1957 to be the first living being orbiting Earth. She floates among bright yellow-green stars, her head turns around to look at the ones behind her, she has her tongue out. The background is outer space. End ID.]

This year I remembered to do something for her!!

Translation of the song verses are under the cut

[...] And if we listen to the legend,

then we will have to think

that Earth has one less dog

and the sky has one more star

And the sky has one more star.

The rocket is ready to launch

Ground control says Laika goodbye

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye...

[universefulloflove]

this poem about laika always makes me tear up

- Dog star, burning through a vast black sky -

In memory of Laika: a greater friend to mankind than mankind was to her.

[niftukkun]

Patron Saint of One Way Trips

Forget-Me-Nots to always remember; Asphodels as my regrets follow you to the grave, and to remember you beyond your tomb

[dualquii]

I recently watched the 3D Coraline (twice actually), so here are some doodles! Coraline is my all-time favourite film and I’ve never properly drawn them yet, so this was lots of fun

[garsamarela]

Laika and Félicette!!

[anney-baker]

Wanted to show some monuments built in memory of the doggo🥺

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

[swagvo1d]

if earth was a big blue ball, i’d toss it for you to chase it

[ink-the-artist]

Bon Voyage

[alittleart]

Recently adopted a new furbaby to my family & a friend remarked on her resemblance to Laika. So we named our furbaby Laika. It's so heartbreaking that the original Laika never came home. This artwork is so beautiful & honors a beautiful furbaby. (Pict of my Laika below)

Laika over the years

2021, 2022, 2024

[fruitblush]

Laika to Ground Control

Prints