Laika was the first dog sent into orbit around the Earth.

Sputnik 2, Russian, November 3, 1957 Laika was originally thought to have survived in Earth orbit for four days, dying in space when the batteries to the cabin over-heated.

In 2002, we realized that Laika died 5 to 7 hours into the flight, from overheating and stress.

Lisichka Lisichka and Barsand Bars

died during a test died during a test flightflight

July 28, July 28, 19601960

Strelka, Strelka, Belka, 40 Belka, 40 mice, 2 mice, 2 rats and rats and

a number a number of plantsof plants

Recovered. Orbited Recovered. Orbited 18 times.18 times.

August 19, August 19, 19601960

Pchelka Pchelka and and

MushkaMushka

died when re-died when re-entering the Earth's entering the Earth's atmosphere at the atmosphere at the wrong angle and wrong angle and

burned upburned up

December 1, December 1, 19601960

Damka Damka and and

KrasavkaKrasavka

the third stage of the third stage of the SL-3 rocket the SL-3 rocket failed, and the failed, and the

orbital launch was orbital launch was abortedaborted

December December 22, 196022, 1960

•Chernushka. a few mice and a guinea pig - launched March 9, 1961.

•Zvezdochka - launched on March 25, 1961 and orbited once in final preparation for the Vostok 1 mission.

•Verterok and Ugolyok were launched on February 22, 1966, in the satellite Kosmos 110. This was a 22-day mission.

•Colonel Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin

•March 9,1934 - March 27, 1968

•Soviet human in space

•Gagarin piloted the Vostok 1 mission which launched April 12, 1961. His flight lasted 108 minutes and orbited the Earth once. The spacecraft was recovered later that day in the Saratov region of the Soviet Union.

• Colonel-Engineer Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova

• (1937- )

• Soviet woman in space

• She was on the Vostok 5 mission which launched on June 16, 1963, and orbited the Earth 48 times. The flight lasted 2.95 days. The spacecraft was recovered on June 19, 1963, in the Soviet Union

Alan B. Shepard Jr.

(1923-1998)

This astronaut briefly flew into space on May 5, 1961, in Freedom 7, a Mercury space capsule.

The capsule splashed down at sea and was retrieved by helicopter.

Sally Kristen Ride

( May 26, 1951- )

Dr. Ride's first trip into space was aboard NASA's space shuttle Challenger (STS-7) in 1983 (June 18-June 24). Her second (and last) space flight was the eight-day Challenger (STS 41-G) mission (in October, 1984).

Neil Alden Armstrong

(1930- )

Apollo 11 mission, which took off on July 16, 1969. Armstrong and Edwin E. (Buzz) Aldrin, Jr., landed on the moon on July 20, 1969

Sharon Christa Corrigan McAuliffe

(1948-1986)

NASA's Space Shuttle Challenger Mission 51-L exploded only 73 seconds after its launch on the morning of January 28, 1986.

Mae C. Jemison

(October 17, 1956 - )

Space Shuttle Endeavor (STS-47, Spacelab-J) as the Mission Specialist; the mission lifted off on September 12, 1992 and landed on September 20, 1992.

Salyut 1

Launched on April 19, 1971 from Baikonur.

13.1 meters long and about 4.2 meters across

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