Thank You, Laika
When I was young, I wanted to be an astronaut. This is really a cliché, since a lot of kids want to be astronauts. But who can blame them? For my birthday, my parents would sometimes take me somewhere space-related, like the planetarium or the observatory. To walk on the moon, or even Mars—that was the ultimate dream. Now that I have grown, my ambitions are much more down-to-earth. Yet, to this day, I sometimes find myself looking up at the universe above, full of wonder and amazement. In doing so, I must also slow down to appreciate those who have ventured beyond and made the dream of reaching the stars possible. The history of humans’ journey into space is full of the names of extraordinary people. However, people are not the only ones who have contributed to this incredible story.
Today I wanted to talk about Laika, the dog. Born in the USSR sometime around 1954, Laika would grow up to become an accomplished cosmonaut, the first living being to orbit the earth, and truly one of the most incredible creatures to ever live. Nothing is known about her early years. She was found as a stray on the streets of Moscow, known for her experience surviving the cold, enduring hunger and coping with stress. Once picked up, she was brought into a completely new life at a Soviet military space research facility. This random act of fate would forever change her life and completely alter the course of human history.
Laika trained hard to prepare for her journey into space, often spending days at a time simulating her voyage inside the small Sputnik 2 space capsule. She was said to have been a very good dog, never fighting with other dogs but notably having a very loud bark when she became excited. After excelling in training, Laika was chosen to be the first dog to go into space. This was a bittersweet moment for those who had helped prepare her for this opportunity. Due to the underdevelopments in space technology, Laika’s trip would be a one-way journey. Knowing Laika’s life was soon to end, one of the head scientists brought her home for a day. At the scientist’s home, where she happily played with his children, experiencing some of the most joyful moments of her entire life.
When the day of Laika’s flight arrived, scientists assisted the little dog and helped her get ready to enter the space capsule. It was understood by all that this small metal container would become her final resting place. Among the scientists, technicians and trainers who gathered to see Laika off, tears fell abundantly, and no one was without the guilt of sending her into the unknown. All of them had come to love this incredible little dog who was about to make the ultimate sacrifice. It would be the crying words of her trainer, Adilya Kotovskaya, which would become the last voice Laika ever heard. As the final preparations for her capsule were completed, Kotovskaya gently petted Laika and, with tears falling, asked for Laika’s forgiveness. The capsule latch was sealed, and so was Laika’s fate.
At 5:30 a.m., Nov. 3, 1957, the rocket carrying Laika ignited and blasted off towards the heavens. Upon exiting the atmosphere, she became weightless and began her journey to orbit Earth. From her small window, Laika became the first being to truly look back at our home world. Below her, everything and everyone that had ever existed. Due to mechanical failures, scientists on the ground were unable to maintain the temperature inside Laika’s capsule, causing it to become extremely cold. After seven hours of spaceflight, the scientists back on earth were no longer able to detect vitals. Laika had died.
Was she afraid? Did she suffer? Did she want to go home? We can only assume what she went through in her final moments. What I do know is this- Laika, the stray dog, who had been abandoned as a stray, and forced to suffer through hunger and cold, upon reaching the heavens above our world, became the most important and extraordinary being in all existence. At that moment, the dream held by human beings since the beginning of time was achieved by this little dog from Moscow.
Laika, you did not deserve to die; you did not choose to fly, and still you went ahead of us anyway. As humans, we often have a tendency to put ourselves before others, and we don’t always like to admit our reasons why. We sent you to our place because we were afraid. We knew the dangers, and we were not willing to take the first steps. We are human, and we sometimes do things knowing it will cause pain to others because, in the moment, we don’t know any other way. We did not know how to reach the stars, but you helped us see how. In such ways, you have shown yourself to be braver than all of us.
I think you’re still up there somewhere, keeping watch over us in this world. Please know that we are grateful, we remember you and we will never give up on the dream that you started. Today, I think of humanity’s astronomical achievements, such as spaceflight, Mars rovers and the moon landing. Because we have done so much and come so far, I will never forget about the little dog who showed us that our dreams are possible, and that we human beings are not insignificant in this reality we call the universe. It was you, Laika, who made this possible, and it was you who showed us that we are capable of amazing things. On behalf of all humanity, thank you, Laika. Please, forgive us.