virgo
11-02-2007, 11:41 AM
Another one for all the pet-lovers out there. (http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/wayoflife/11/01/ten.dogs/index.html?imw=Y&iref=mpstoryemail)
(LifeWire) -- Fifty years ago this Saturday, Laika -- a sweet-tempered stray plucked off the streets of Moscow -- was thrust into the global spotlight when she became the first living creature sent into space.
When Sputnik 2's canine passenger (nicknamed "Muttnik" by the media) hit orbit, the Soviet Union grabbed the edge over the U.S. in the space race, a crux of competition during the Cold War.
Sadly, Laika's history-making voyage ended prematurely: In their rush to be first, Soviet scientists had made no provisions for her safe return.
"She died before reaching orbit, and before any real data was gleaned about sustaining life in that environment," says Dr. Stanley Coren, professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia and author of "The Pawprints of History: Dogs and the Course of Human Events."
But if little scientific knowledge was gleaned from Laika's journey, her mark on world events is undeniable. "We were behind the Russians," says Coren. "The U.S. quickly switched focus to putting a living being on the moon."
Laika is just one of the many canines (http://topics.cnn.com/topics/dogs) to have left a furry legacy behind. Coren names 10 other dogs and the roles they played in history.
(LifeWire) -- Fifty years ago this Saturday, Laika -- a sweet-tempered stray plucked off the streets of Moscow -- was thrust into the global spotlight when she became the first living creature sent into space.
When Sputnik 2's canine passenger (nicknamed "Muttnik" by the media) hit orbit, the Soviet Union grabbed the edge over the U.S. in the space race, a crux of competition during the Cold War.
Sadly, Laika's history-making voyage ended prematurely: In their rush to be first, Soviet scientists had made no provisions for her safe return.
"She died before reaching orbit, and before any real data was gleaned about sustaining life in that environment," says Dr. Stanley Coren, professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia and author of "The Pawprints of History: Dogs and the Course of Human Events."
But if little scientific knowledge was gleaned from Laika's journey, her mark on world events is undeniable. "We were behind the Russians," says Coren. "The U.S. quickly switched focus to putting a living being on the moon."
Laika is just one of the many canines (http://topics.cnn.com/topics/dogs) to have left a furry legacy behind. Coren names 10 other dogs and the roles they played in history.