First space traveller

[ozzy72]

Well on this day in 1957 the first space traveller went into orbit around the earth.
Ten points for the name, species, and breed

[jimclarke]

A dog named Laika.  Kinda sad though since she never made it back alive

Jim

[WebbPA]

I think jimclarke has it right unless they put up a mouse and didn't tell us about it.  I wouldn't want to guess about the breed and Googling would be cheating.

As I recall there was a camera in the spacecraft which (after the fact) showed a healthy dog in orbit.

Unfortunately for animal and human space travelers, Soviet spacecraft were not very user friendly when it came to re-entry and touchdown and Laika's craft was not designed to survive re-entry.

[Flt.Lt.Andrew]

Uh...wasn't Uri Gargarin, of the USSR, Communist, Test Pilot and Russian dude the first guy to exit the earth?
Oh yea, Laika fried...teheheheheheheheheeeeee.....

A.

[WebbPA]

If we want to get into technicalities,

Yuri Gagarin - first human (credited) in space.

John Glenn - first complete space flight (by a human).

The dogs and monkeys got there before us.

If you want to discuss "complete" space flight v. first human in space, please Google the subject first.  Yuri Gagarin, Alan Shepard, etc. are all noble individuals but under the rules John Glenn made the first complete space flight - over 100 miles altitude and landing in the same vehicle.

[Hagar]

[quote]If you want to discuss "complete" space flight v. first human in space, please Google the subject first.

[mosquito633]

I heard somewhere that the late Laika was some form of Husky,Siberian Husky i think it was.  And she aparently dies pritty early on, but thats not what came out of the communist empire.lol

cheers

[WebbPA]

Actually, Hagar, there was an official competition and rules were established between the US and the USSR.

None of the American suborbital flights counted because they were below the 100 mile or 100 km threshold established by the rules (I'm going to research this and get you some links, so be patient).

None of the Vostok flights counted because the cosmonauts did not return to Earth with their vehicles.  The design of the Vostoks did allow them survive impact.  The solution was that the cosmonaut opened the hatch at about 20,000 feet, jumped out, then parachuted to Earth.

I'm not kidding and I don't expect you to believe me.  Therefore, links will follow.

Edit: Here's a link to get you started

http://www.vibrationdata.com/space/Yuri.htm

"As part of the flight plan, Gagarin exited the spacecraft at an altitude of about 20,000 feet and then parachuted to the ground. He landed near Saratov in the Volgograd region.

The Soviet government apparently kept this parachute detail secret for many years. The Soviets sought to give an impression that the Vostok spacecraft made a soft landing with Gagarin still inside. The Federation Aeronautique International required that a pilot land with his vehicle in order to claim a complete flight for the record books."

[Hagar]

OK Jim. I stand corrected. Considering this was during the Cold War & the distrust between East & West at the time I had no idea this was an official competition. It's always seemed more like a propaganda exercise to me. You obviously know more on this subject than me so I'll take your word for it. As I mentioned earlier I don't wish to enter a discussion about it as it doesn't really interest me. I only brought it up as I was around at the time & remember how it captured the public imagination.

"As part of the flight plan, Gagarin exited the spacecraft at an altitude of about 20,000 feet and then parachuted to the ground. He landed near Saratov in the Volgograd region.

The Soviet government apparently kept this parachute detail secret for many years. The Soviets sought to give an impression that the Vostok spacecraft made a soft landing with Gagarin still inside.

I've read about this before. It's correct that we were told at the time that the craft made a soft landing with Gagarin still inside. I had no reason to doubt it then & never thought about it again until recently.