The first animal in orbit

Fifty years ago this week, the first animal went into orbit, setting the manned space program into motion[1]. The USSR launched Laika into space in a small capsule with enough food and water for seven days, and a heating and cooling system intended to keep the small capsule at a living temperature. The intent was that the dog would live for several days, slowly and peacefully dying from lack of oxygen. However, one of the rockets malfunctioned, causing failure of the cooling system, killing Laika after only several hours.

There was never any intent that Laika would come back from space and no way to retrieve her. Although the men in the space program had no guarantee of coming back and undertook the flights knowing the risks and dangers, there were at least systems and plans intended to bring them back from space safely. And the men willingly participated with full knowledge of what might happen. Laika participated willingly, too, but not because she knew or understood the outcome.

I’m not really suggesting that informed consent for animals is appropriate, and I’m not against animal experimentation when necessary. But how necessary was this experiment? The Soviet scientists did not disclose until just recently that Laika died much more quickly than they anticipated, from heat rather than oxygen deprivation. Though failure of the experiment may have contributed to the lack of public disclosure, perhaps they also realized that Laika was a sympathetic figure and people around the world would not appreciate the manner in which she died.

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[1] Laika’s flight remembered 50 years on, http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Laikas-flight-remembered-50-years-on/2007/11/02/1193619147259.html