News Belka and Strelka: 50th anniversary of flight

[SiberianTiger]

On August 19, 1960 two dogs, Belka and Strelka made the 1st orbital flight aboard the 2nd Satellite Ship (a prototype of Vostok space ship) and with 's help returned back to Earth alive! That made them (along with some mice and rats) the first living beings from Earth to have a safe orbital trip in space.

http://rt.com/Top_News/2010-08-19/belka-strelka-dogs-space.html?fullstory

Belka and Strelka were two dogs who were onboard the Sputnik-5 spacecraft when it broke into orbit on August 19, 1960, circled the Earth 17 times and returned home. Accompanying them were two lab rats and forty mice, as well as a life support system, instruments and other equipment.


The space travelers became instant stars, enjoying media support and later quiet and happy lives. One of Strelka’s pups was sent as a present to the family of US President John Kennedy by Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.


Yet the story has its closets with dog skeletons in it. Before the duo became space pioneers, 17 of their canine buddies died in accidents, and one was made an unwilling sacrifice to the altar of technological breakthrough.

Before the first human launch was approved, two spacecraft with a dog and a mannequin onboard had been sent into orbit. Their missions were almost exactly the same as that of Yury Gagarin. With a good deal of irony Gagarin later remarked that he couldn’t make up his mind whether he was the first man in space, or the last dog.

Their stuffed bodies can be seen in space museum in Moscow today:

---------- Post added at 20:13 ---------- Previous post was at 12:30 ----------

Just found this nice commemorative poster:

 

[Star Voyager]

On August 19, 2010 two dogs, Belka and Strelka made the 1st orbital flight...

You do mean 1960, right :lol:? Anyhow, it's a good anniversary to celebrate. Thanks for reminding us :tiphat:!

 

[Columbia42]

Thanks, Siberian Tiger. Didn't Belka and Strelka fly into space before on a suborbital flight in the 50s? I think I heard that somewhere but I can't find any reference to it.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Thanks, Siberian Tiger. Didn't Belka and Strelka fly into space before on a suborbital flight in the 50s? I think I heard that somewhere but I can't find any reference to it.

It was a surprise for myself, but one datasheet (http://www.astronaut.ru/animals/text/111.htm) on animals suborbital flights has it like Belka went to space three times (in 1957, on 8/25, 8/31, and 9/06) on R-2A rockets even before her famous orbital flight on 8/19/1960. These rockets lifted as high as 240 km on their ballistic trip. Given it was really the same 'Belka', of course. I still have to find a proof to identity of the dog.

---------- Post added 24-08-10 at 08:27 ---------- Previous post was 23-08-10 at 17:32 ----------

It was a surprise for myself, but one datasheet (http://www.astronaut.ru/animals/text/111.htm) on animals suborbital flights has it like Belka went to space three times (in 1957, on 8/25, 8/31, and 9/06) on R-2A rockets even before her famous orbital flight on 8/19/1960. These rockets lifted as high as 240 km on their ballistic trip. Given it was really the same 'Belka', of course. I still have to find a proof to identity of the dog.

Addition: as knowlegeable people told me, Belka and Strelka were 3.5 years old at time of their orbital flight on 8/19/1960. It made no sense to send a puppy on top of a ballistic rocket three years before, so it had to be a different "Belka" back in 1957. Sorry for disappointing, but Belka and Strelka flew only once.

 

[orb]

It is more than a half of year since the anniversary, but I found a nice article featuring those dogs published today (Apr. 20), in relation to 50th anniversary of first man in space -

The St. Petersburg Times: The Dogs Who Paved the Way to Space for Gagarin​

{...}

Two strays nicknamed Belka and Strelka achieved the best results, and on August 19, 1960 they were launched in a Vostok spacecraft from the launch site that is known today as Baikonur. The dogs were dressed in red and green-colored outfits, and were accompanied by several rats and 40 mice, as well as flies, plants and fungi.

The life-support system allowed the animals to eat and breathe normally while inside the spacecraft. For first time in the history of space exploration, a video monitored the state and behavior of the dogs in space.

“After entering weightlessness, the dogs adapted to the conditions of space. There were no abnormalities and the 24 hours passed without any deviation,” said Khomenko.

“On the fourth orbit around the Earth, Belka began to show signs of stress, which was a sign that for the first human flight, it would be better to have only one orbit.”

The flight lasted for more than 25 hours, during which time the spacecraft made 17 full orbits around the Earth. On August 20, 1960 the ejection capsule carrying the dogs landed within 10 kilometers of the planned landing site. Both dogs were alive, and were later proudly presented to the press.

The news of Belka and Strelka spread all over the world. They continued to live in the Institute of Aviation Medicine and were often taken to schools and kindergartens. Strelka went on to have six puppies with another dog from the institute named Pushok, one of which, named Pushinka, was given by Nikita Khrushchev to Jacqueline Kennedy, the wife of the U.S. president.

“It’s nice to know that the descendants of our Pushok are still alive somewhere,” said Khomenko.

{...}