# This is your Astronomy Tonight podcast.
Good evening, stargazers! Today we're celebrating December 6th, and boy, do we have a cosmic milestone to discuss!
On this very date in 1957, humanity experienced one of the most humbling moments in our entire history. The Soviet Union launched **Sputnik 2**, and this wasn't just another satellite—oh no. Strapped aboard this metallic sphere was **Laika**, a small dog who would become the first living creature to orbit Earth.
Now, let's talk about Laika for a moment, because her story is absolutely *wild*. This brave little dog—a street mutt from Moscow with the official designation of "Test Animal Number 2"—was selected for this mission because Soviet scientists believed dogs were the perfect candidates for space travel. (Apparently, they were more expendable than humans in their reasoning, which... yeah, that's a whole ethical discussion for another time.)
Laika was fitted into a specially designed capsule just 108 centimeters in diameter, equipped with food, water, and oxygen recycling systems. On November 3rd, 1957, she blasted off into the unknown. And here's where it gets intense: **Sputnik 2 weighed over 1,100 kilograms**—more than a thousand times heavier than the first Sputnik that had launched just a month earlier! This was a quantum leap in space capability, and Laika was riding the wave.
For about a week, Laika circled Earth, becoming an international celebrity and, simultaneously, a symbol of Cold War ambitions. The world watched and waited, holding its collective breath. Sadly, the mission was designed to be one-way, though the Soviets didn't publicly admit this at the time. Laika's biological data was transmitted back to Earth for several days before the signals ceased.
What makes Laika's legacy truly special is that her sacrifice directly contributed to what we learned about living organisms in space. The data collected helped pave the way for human spaceflight—just a few years later, Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space in 1961, standing on the shoulders of Laika's pioneering journey.
In 2008, Moscow erected a monument to Laika near the Institute for Experimental Medicine, and she remains a poignant reminder that space exploration has always required brave souls—whether human or canine—pushing the boundaries of the possible.
So tonight, when you look up at the stars, remember Laika, the space dog who showed us what courage in the cosmos really means.
**Don't forget to subscribe to the Astronomy Tonight podcast** so you never miss these fascinating cosmic stories! If you want more information about tonight's topic or any of our episodes, be sure to check out **Quiet Please dot AI**.
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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
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