August 19, 2020
Sixty years ago, on August 19, 1960, a second satellite 1K, a prototype of the Vostok manned spacecraft, with the dogs Belka and Strelka on board, was launched into near-earth orbit. Besides them, there were mice, insects, plants, fungal crops, seeds, some types of microbes and other biological objects. This was the first orbital flight of living beings with a successful return to Earth.
Sergei Korolev personally supervised the preparation of the expedition. According to a special method, 12 dogs were selected: weight – up to 6 kilograms, height – up to 35 centimeters, age – from two to six years, light color. Outbreds Belka and Strelka proved to be the best in the group. The purpose of the experiment is to study the effect of space flight on living organisms, as well as to work out life support systems and return to Earth. The flight lasted more than 25 hours, during which time the ship made 17 complete revolutions around the Earth.
After the flight, the dogs lived in the Institute of Aviation and Space Medicine, from where they were taken to kindergartens and schools to be shown. A few months later Strelka gave birth to six absolutely healthy puppies. One of them was presented to the wife of US President John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline. Belka and Strelka lived to a ripe old age and died a natural death.
Belka and Strelka were the third canine crew sent into orbit. The dog Laika became a space pioneer in 1957. The journey of Belka and Strelka made it possible to draw conclusions about the possibility of man to make an orbital flight around the Earth. In the course of it, unique scientific data on the influence of space flight factors were obtained.
More from this category:
July 30, 2018

On July 27 a schedule for the creation of a single integrated engine building structure on the base of NPO “Energomash” has been agreed upon…

full story
August 27, 2019

The “Soyuz MS-14” spacecraft on August 27, 2019 at 06:08 (Moscow time) successfully docked to the “Zvezda” module of the Russian segment of the International…

full story
July 2, 2019

This morning, on July 2, 2019, the “Soyuz-2.1b” launch vehicle was rolled out from the technical to the launch complex of the Vostochny cosmodrome and…

full story
March 18, 2020

On Monday, March 16, 2020 the “Soyuz-2.1b” launch vehicle with the Glonass-M navigation spacecraft was launched from the launch pad №4 of the Plesetsk cosmodrome…

full story
February 5, 2016

One more ISS crew successfully completed training on survival in marshy and forested area. For three days Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Ryazansky, NASA astronaut Randolph Bresnik…

full story
May 30, 2020

The Roscosmos State Corporation has now confirmed the prime, backup and reserve crews of the Soyuz MS-17 spacecraft. The launch of the Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket…

full story
March 26, 2014

Additional agreement for delivery of Soyuz-ST boosters to be launched form Kourou spaceport in French Guiana was signed, sourсe in space industry reported. The contact…

full story
June 8, 2020

Khrunichev Centre is going to resume the production of Rokot light conversion boosters on the basis of RS-18B ballistic missiles currently being removed from combat…

full story