On 3rd of November 1957 the USSR launched Sputnik 2 with space dog Laika aboard, a mostly Siberian Husky, the first animal in space.

Laika was found as a stray wandering the streets of Moscow. Along with other stray dogs picked up by the scientists, she and two other dogs , Albina, Mushka,  were trained for the space flight. One of the things it involved was placing the dogs in smaller and smaller cages for up to 20 days.

According to a NASA document, Laika was placed in the capsule of the satellite on 31 October 1957 – three days before the start of the mission. At that time of year, the temperatures at the launch site were extremely low, and a hose connected to a heater was used to keep her container warm. 

After reaching orbit, Sputnik 2’s nose cone was jettisoned successfully; however, the “Block A” core did not separate as planned, preventing the thermal control system from operating correctly. Some of the thermal insulation tore loose, raising the cabin temperature to 40 °C (104 °F).

After approximately five to seven hours into the flight, no further signs of life were received from the spacecraft.

Over five months later, after 2,570 orbits, Sputnik 2 (including Laika’s remains) disintegrated during re-entry on 14 April 1958. Laika