Laika, a dog that was the first living creature to be launched into Earth orbit, on board the Soviet artificial satellite Sputnik 2, on November 3, 1957.

What did we learn from Laika?

Sputnik and Muttnik

Soviet scientists assumed that a stray dog would have already learned to endure harsh conditions of hunger and cold temperatures. Laika and two other dogs were trained for space travel by being kept in small cages and learning to eat a nutritious gel that would be their food in space.

Why was Sputnik 2 so important?

Sputnik 2 was the second spacecraft launched into Earth orbit and was the first such biological spacecraft. ... Engineering and biological data were transmitted using the Tral_D telemetry system, which would transmit data to Earth for 15 minutes of each orbit.