“I don’t think the human race will survive the next thousand years, unless we spread into space. There are too many accidents that can befall life on a single planet. But I’m an optimist. We will reach out to the stars.”
— Stephen Hawking, theoretical physicist and cosmologist.
As it became clear that the technology now existed to send man into orbit, thequestion was whether a living organism would be able to survive the launchand endure weightlessness. Like before, the Soviets turned to dogs to test this.Laika, a stray dog, was chosen to be put aboard the Sputnik 2, whichwas launched mere months after the path-defining Sputnik 1 on November3, 1957. Laika survived the launch and weightlessness, but died of heatinside the satellite.
Sputnik
Over the next few years, the Cold War grew more tense and fierce. The space programmes of both, Russia and USA picked up pace and started capturing the world’s imagination. It was partly also out of the number of fiction pieces surrounding the subject that aroused people’s curiosity. While each had its own share of great achievements, the Soviet Union was the first to accomplish what both space programmes were created for – the ICBM. In August of 1957, the R-7 Semyorka became the first successful
intercontinental ballistic missile and laid the foundation for an even greater accomplishment – the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth. The story of the artificial satellite actually begins in 1952, when the International Council of Scientific Unions decided to establish July 1, 1957 to December 31, 1958 as the International Geophysical Year (IGY) because the scientists knew that the cycles of solar activity would be at a high point then. In October 1954, the council adopted a resolution calling for artificial satellites to be launched during the IGY to map the Earth’s surface.
In July 1955, America announced plans to launch an Earth-orbiting satellite for the IGY and solicited proposals from various Government research agencies to undertake development. In September, it chose and started a project called Vanguard. But unbeknownst to the US, the Soviets had already started their own plans for the same through a project headed by Sergey Korolev. The Politburo soon announced their own plans to launch an artificial satellite and this formally kicked off the Space Race.
While many expected the Americans to manage to successfully put their own satellite in orbit first, the Russians pipped them to the post. In 1957, on October 4 at 10:28 p.m. Moscow time, a brilliant and deafening detonation of smoke and flame illuminated the Soviet Union’s rocket test site near Tyuratam, Kazkhistan, as the 32 nozzles announced the rise 12 Taking off of the Russian R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile. After five minutes and 230 kilometres, the last of the R-7’s engines shut down for good. Soon after, pneumatic locks were activated, a nosecone fairing separated, and an antenna spike was released. Then, in one final act that signalled the dawn of
the space age, a pushrod connected to a bulkhead of the R-7 was activated, shoving a beach ball-sized sphere into the cold, harsh blackness of space. Sputnik had arrived.
Sputnik 1 became the first artificial satellite to be put into the Earth’s orbit. A 22-inch aluminium sphere with four spring-loaded whip antennae trailing, it weighed only 83 kgs, measured a little less than two feet in diameter, and travelled an elliptical orbit that took it around the Earth every 96 minutes. It carried a small radio beacon that beeped at regular intervals and could, by means of telemetry, verify exact locations on the earth’s surface. Some US cold warriors suggested that this was a way for the Soviets to obtain targeting information for their ballistic missiles, but that doesn’t seem to have actually been the case. The satellite itself fell from orbit three months after launch on January 4, 1958. It wouldn’t be until two months after Sputnik 1 crashed back on earth that the US would be able to launch its own Explorer 1 satellite into space on March 17, 1958. An artist’s impression of Sputnik-I in orbit Image Credit: Gregory R Todd Taking off 13
Over the next couple of years, the Space Race would heat up and the Soviet Space Programme emerged as the leader. The Luna programme was launched to develop the first lunar probe. Although the Luna 1 was unsuccessful in doing so, it did become the first man-made object to reach Earth’s escape velocity. The objective of the programme was successfully achieved when the Luna 2 became the first man-made object to reach the moon in 1959. Luna 3 rounded the Moon later that year, and returned the first photographs of its far side, which can never be seen from Earth. Meanwhile, the US space programme also achieved some success through missions like the Explorer 6, which was the first artificial satellite to click photographs of the Earth from its own orbit.
In July 1955, America announced plans to launch an Earth-orbiting satellite for the IGY and solicited proposals from various Government research agencies to undertake development. In September, it chose and started a project called Vanguard. But unbeknownst to the US, the Soviets had already started their own plans for the same through a project headed by Sergey Korolev. The Politburo soon announced their own plans to launch an artificial satellite and this formally kicked off the Space Race.
While many expected the Americans to manage to successfully put their own satellite in orbit first, the Russians pipped them to the post. In 1957, on October 4 at 10:28 p.m. Moscow time, a brilliant and deafening detonation of smoke and flame illuminated the Soviet Union’s rocket test site near Tyuratam, Kazkhistan, as the 32 nozzles announced the rise 12 Taking off of the Russian R-7 intercontinental ballistic missile. After five minutes and 230 kilometres, the last of the R-7’s engines shut down for good. Soon after, pneumatic locks were activated, a nosecone fairing separated, and an antenna spike was released. Then, in one final act that signalled the dawn of
the space age, a pushrod connected to a bulkhead of the R-7 was activated, shoving a beach ball-sized sphere into the cold, harsh blackness of space. Sputnik had arrived.
Sputnik 1 became the first artificial satellite to be put into the Earth’s orbit. A 22-inch aluminium sphere with four spring-loaded whip antennae trailing, it weighed only 83 kgs, measured a little less than two feet in diameter, and travelled an elliptical orbit that took it around the Earth every 96 minutes. It carried a small radio beacon that beeped at regular intervals and could, by means of telemetry, verify exact locations on the earth’s surface. Some US cold warriors suggested that this was a way for the Soviets to obtain targeting information for their ballistic missiles, but that doesn’t seem to have actually been the case. The satellite itself fell from orbit three months after launch on January 4, 1958. It wouldn’t be until two months after Sputnik 1 crashed back on earth that the US would be able to launch its own Explorer 1 satellite into space on March 17, 1958. An artist’s impression of Sputnik-I in orbit Image Credit: Gregory R Todd Taking off 13
Over the next couple of years, the Space Race would heat up and the Soviet Space Programme emerged as the leader. The Luna programme was launched to develop the first lunar probe. Although the Luna 1 was unsuccessful in doing so, it did become the first man-made object to reach Earth’s escape velocity. The objective of the programme was successfully achieved when the Luna 2 became the first man-made object to reach the moon in 1959. Luna 3 rounded the Moon later that year, and returned the first photographs of its far side, which can never be seen from Earth. Meanwhile, the US space programme also achieved some success through missions like the Explorer 6, which was the first artificial satellite to click photographs of the Earth from its own orbit.
Laika and Sputnik 5
As it became clear that the technology now existed to send man into orbit, thequestion was whether a living organism would be able to survive the launchand endure weightlessness. Like before, the Soviets turned to dogs to test this.Laika, a stray dog, was chosen to be put aboard the Sputnik 2, whichwas launched mere months after the path-defining Sputnik 1 on November3, 1957. Laika survived the launch and weightlessness, but died of heatinside the satellite.
At the time, the question to send the dog on the ill-fated mission wasn’tquestioned, but scientists involved in the programme have later expressed their regrets. One of them, Oleg Gazenko, later said, “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.” Meanwhile, a separate spacecraft called the Vostok was built by the Soviet Union to make it easier and safer to go into space. In its third test flight in 1960, the Vostok carried the Sputnik 5 satellite with its crew of two dogs – Belka and Strelka – as well as two rats, 40 mice and a variety of plants. The spacecraft was able to successfully go into orbit and return thereafter with all its occupants alive, making it the first time living organisms had been in Earth’s orbit and returned to the planet safely. With the proof of model established, it was finally decided that the Russians would be sending a man into space soon...
