In 1957, a Soviet street dog named Laika launched into space aboard Sputnik-2 and became the first animal to orbit the Earth. This is her story.<br /><br />When the international press reported that the Soviets sent a dog into orbit, the public freaked. Not because communism was beating democracy in the space race, but because how could anyone send a dog - alone - into space. If there's one global commonality, it's this: everyone loves dogs. So, the Soviets spun the story. Laika, the space dog, became a national hero. Yes, she died on her one way mission. But, she gloriously orbited Earth for over a week until her eventual, peaceful death. And, because of Laika's sacrifice, the Soviet space program was now years ahead of the Americans...<br /><br />But, none of that was true.<br /><br />Based on declassified Soviet space program documents as well as primary source archive from back in the day, this is a revised version of Laika's one way trip. In her words. That is, approximately her words. She was a dog, after all.
