# Early Soviet Space Program **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 22, 2000, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-soviet-space-program/20193 "2000-05-22T16:09:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2000, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-soviet-space-program/20193/21 "2000-05-23T18:50:52Z")
They knew that they couldn’t retrieve her alive, so there was a euthanising device of some sort aboard, as a humane measure. I believe that it was an IV inserted prior to launch, but I could be mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2000, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-soviet-space-program/20193/22 "2000-05-24T01:43:39Z")
> [@](#): > > **Euthenized in orbit? Is that just a nice way of saying "ran out of oxygen and died?"** [This site](http://www.zoomwhales.com/subjects/astronomy/dogs/) says that Laika died when the batteries of the life support system ran out. However, [another site](http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/pao/History/sputnik/harford.html) says: > [@](#): > > Laika is reported to have barked and eaten food during his lonely sojourn but, alas, he died when the capsule overheated after failing to separate from its booster, thereby rendering the thermal control system inoperative. The second source sounds more authoritative, though I’m pretty sure it got Laika’s gender wrong. Anyway, the capsule reentered the atmosphere and burned up half a year later. In “low earth orbit,” which includes all manned flights except the Apollos, there is still some residual air which slows down the spacecraft over time. Everything comes down after a few years unless you fire rockets to rais the orbit from time to time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-soviet-space-program/20193.md?page=1)