# What's left of Laika? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 5, 2014, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-left-of-laika/680611 "2014-02-05T22:21:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-left-of-laika/680611/1 "2014-02-05T22:21:33Z")
Laika, the dog, was the first animal launched into space, and she died up there. If we retrieved her capsule now, what would we find? How far would decompostion have advanced before it stopped, due to lack of oxygen, or maybe heat, or both? Or would it have completed, and what we’d find would be a clean skeleton and a puddle of slime? I guess it would be more of a cloud of slime droplets, possibly frozen slime droplets. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-left-of-laika/680611/2 "2014-02-05T22:22:39Z")
Just dust. Her capsule re-entered and burned up decades ago. > [@](#): > > Over five months later, after 2,570 orbits, Sputnik 2 disintegrated—along with Laika’s remains—during re-entry on April 14, 1958 ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-left-of-laika/680611/3 "2014-02-05T22:27:10Z")
…fuggin’ Commies… ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2014, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-left-of-laika/680611/4 "2014-02-05T23:41:48Z")
I prefer to think that Laika [just faded away.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqxlrOXgYkk) ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-left-of-laika/680611/5 "2014-02-06T01:10:12Z")
Thanks beowulff. I thought that might have happened but wiki didn’t mention it, so I made an ass out of u and me. But assuming it hadn’t re-entered…what would be left? ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-left-of-laika/680611/6 "2014-02-06T07:27:20Z")
Laika died sooner than expected from the heat. I don’t think they thought much about cooling or insulating from heat the interior of the craft for that flight. So, what would be the dog’s condition now? Put a freshly dead dog in your oven. Set it for, let’s say 250 degrees F. Set the timer so the oven runs for 12 hours, then is off for 12 hours. Repeat this cycle for 50 years. I’m guessing you’ll end up with a pretty desiccated carcass ---
**Author:** ![Molotok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@Molotok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molotok)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-left-of-laika/680611/7 "2014-02-06T07:33:32Z")
I usually see Bala to the left of laika… ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-left-of-laika/680611/8 "2014-02-06T13:19:49Z")
> [@TSBG](#): > > Thanks beowulff. I thought that might have happened but wiki didn’t mention it, Um, beowulff’s quote is from the wiki page on Laika. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-left-of-laika/680611/9 "2014-02-06T14:41:54Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Laika died sooner than expected from the heat. I don’t think they thought much about cooling or insulating from heat the interior of the craft for that flight. The orbiter was cooled and insulated, but the temperature controls failed. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-left-of-laika/680611/10 "2014-02-06T18:26:49Z")
I saw an interview…ah, Wikipedia has the quote: > [@](#): > > Oleg Gazenko, one of the scientists responsible for sending Laika into space, expressed regret for allowing her to die: > > “Work with animals is a source of suffering to all of us. We treat them like babies who cannot speak. The more time passes, the more I’m sorry about it. We shouldn’t have done it… We did not learn enough from this mission to justify the death of the dog.” Indeed. Having accompanied humans since before we were civilized…having died in our service and for our whims…once again, the dog preceded us into danger, serving as our scout. It is typical that we let down our end of the bargain. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2014, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-left-of-laika/680611/11 "2014-02-06T18:31:50Z")
Well, at least know that there is a Schrodinger’s dog to chase the cat. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2014, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-left-of-laika/680611/12 "2014-02-07T13:07:41Z")
> [@TSBG](#): > > But assuming it hadn’t re-entered…what would be left? What’s left of Laika? I don’t think anyone bothered to note its orientation when it died. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2014, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-left-of-laika/680611/13 "2014-02-07T13:39:54Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Set the timer so the oven runs for 12 hours, then is off for 12 hours. Repeat this cycle for 50 years. I’m guessing you’ll end up with a pretty desiccated carcass Not in orbit - set it for 90 minutes on, and then a few minutes in the freezer, and repeat. I would bet that the hull integrity would fail sooner rather than later, and you would have vacuum dried partly decomposed remains. But probably quite, if rather morbidly, intact. Freeze drying deceased pets works remarkably well to preserve them. I remember even as kid feeling really sorry about Laika. It did just seem rotten. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2014, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-left-of-laika/680611/14 "2014-02-07T14:49:29Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > Not in orbit - set it for 90 minutes on, and then a few minutes in the freezer, and repeat. > > I would bet that the hull integrity would fail sooner rather than later, and you would have vacuum dried partly decomposed remains. But probably quite, if rather morbidly, intact. Freeze drying deceased pets works remarkably well to preserve them. > > I remember even as kid feeling really sorry about Laika. It did just seem rotten. me, too. Back circa 1960 the books that told you about Laika made it sound exciting and interesting – A Dog in Space! But none of them told you of her fate, which bothered me. Eventually I figured out that they didn’t bring her down, and they didn’t want to upset us kids. But I didn’t know until much later how bad it really was for her. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2014, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-left-of-laika/680611/15 "2014-02-07T14:53:46Z")
At least they didn’t claim she was sent to a Space Farm upstate. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2014, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-left-of-laika/680611/16 "2014-02-07T16:28:44Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > me, too. Back circa 1960 the books that told you about Laika made it sound exciting and interesting – A Dog in Space! > > But none of them told you of her fate, which bothered me. Eventually I figured out that they didn’t bring her down, and they didn’t want to upset us kids. But I didn’t know until much later how bad it really was for her. I didn’t figure out that they didn’t bring her down until this thread. I wouldn’t be so upset that Laika died except for the fact that they had no expectations t bring her back safely at all. I’m on the wiki and it appears that the Russians killed 2 more via remote detonation after re-entry so that other nations wouldn’t be able to reverse-engineer their tech. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2014, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-left-of-laika/680611/17 "2014-02-07T20:19:10Z")
Does it help that they planned to poison her so she wouldn’t suffer? Isn’t the same country that did [head transplants on dogs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Demikhov)? Do Russians hate dogs? ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2014, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-left-of-laika/680611/18 "2014-02-07T20:41:36Z")
Is it inappropriate to mention [Space Doggity](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyePTimfVmI), which manages to be a little funny and incredibly sad at the same time? ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2014, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-left-of-laika/680611/19 "2014-02-07T21:11:46Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Laika died sooner than expected from the heat. I don’t think they thought much about cooling or insulating from heat the interior of the craft for that flight. So, what would be the dog’s condition now? Put a freshly dead dog in your oven. Set it for, let’s say 250 degrees F. Set the timer so the oven runs for 12 hours, then is off for 12 hours. Repeat this cycle for 50 years. I’m guessing you’ll end up with a pretty desiccated carcass > [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > Not in orbit - set it for 90 minutes on, and then a few minutes in the freezer, and repeat. > > I would bet that the hull integrity would fail sooner rather than later, and you would have vacuum dried partly decomposed remains. But probably quite, if rather morbidly, intact. Freeze drying deceased pets works remarkably well to preserve them. You’re right. Except the heat would be on for 45 minutes, then the freezer for 45 minutes. Oh, and I pulled that 250°f out of my tush. It could have been much hotter.