The day the first animal orbited the Earth – level 2

03-11-1957

In October 1957, the Soviet Union sent the first satellite into orbit named Sputnik 1. After its success, Moscow wanted to repeat the flight with an animal on board as soon as possible.

For the mission, which was a one-way flight, a female dog was chosen. Her name was Laika and she was found ​​in the streets of Moscow. She had a phlegmatic character, which was ideal for hard training and the following stay in space.

The day before the flight, one of the doctors took Laika home to play with his children.

Then November 3, 1957 came. Laika was taken into orbit on board Sputnik 2.

People think that Laika died after 7 hours of flight because there was a problem and there was a very high temperature inside Sputnik 2.

This flight showed that it was possible for a living organism or being to survive in orbit for several hours. In the following years, preparations began to send the first person into orbit. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin was the first person who managed to do it.

Difficult words: orbit (a way around the Earth in space), female (a woman), phlegmatic (calm), following (coming), managed (was able to).

What do you think the long-term impact of Laika's flight was on the further exploration of space?

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