Dear All

Laika the Space Dog was launched into space at either 5:30 am or 07:22 am, Moscow Time (reports vary), on 3 November, 1957. I put together the diagram (above) to help illustrate the launch from Laika's perspective. (The nose cone on the right is that of Sputnik 1, but the rocket was otherwise identical). 

Wikipedia says: "The craft was equipped with a life-support system consisting of an oxygen generator and devices to avoid oxygen poisoning and to absorb carbon dioxide. A fan, designed to activate whenever the cabin temperature exceeded 15 °C (59 °F), was added to keep the dog cool. Enough food (in a gelatinous form) was provided for a seven-day flight, and the dog was fitted with a bag to collect waste. A harness was designed to be fitted to the dog, and there were chains to restrict her movements to standing, sitting, or lying down; there was no room to turn around in the cabin. An electrocardiogram monitored heart rate and further instrumentation tracked respiration rate, maximum arterial pressure, and the dog's movements."

Laika died somewhere between 5-7 hours into the flight, after four orbits of the Earth. Her body remained in orbit for five months until the orbit of Sputnik 2 decayed to the point where the spacecraft burnt up in the atmosphere, on 14 April, 1958.

Very Best, Guy