Laika flew aboard Sputnik 2 on November 3, 1957, becoming the first animal to orbit Earth, but the mission had no recovery plan and she died within hours.

Baikonur launch site / low Earth orbit

Story

Laika was selected from Moscow stray dogs and launched aboard Sputnik 2 during the early space race.

Because the mission had no recovery plan and she died within hours, the archive records both the milestone and the ethical cost.

Laika is archived so that a famous scientific milestone remains tied to the individual animal who was sacrificed.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Laika
• Wikipedia: Sputnik 2
• BBC: First dog in space died within hours