Space Dogs - Suborbital Flights
During the 1950s and 1960s the USSR used a number of dogs for sub-orbital and orbital space flights to determine whether human spaceflight was feasible. In the 1950s and 60s, the Soviet Union launched missions with passenger slots for at least 57 dogs. The actual number of dogs in space is smaller, as some dogs flew more than once. Most survived; the few that died were lost mostly through technical failures.
Sub-orbital flights
Dezik, Tsygan and Lisa
Dezik and Tsygan (”Gypsy”) were the first dogs to make a sub-orbital flight on July 22, 1951. Both dogs were recovered unharmed after traveling to a maximum altitude of 100 km. After the flight, Tsygan was adopted as a pet by Soviet physicist Anatoli Blagonravov.[4] Dezik made another sub-orbital flight in September 1951 with a dog named Lisa, although neither survived.
Lisa and Ryzhik
Lisa (”Fox” or “Vixen”) and Ryzhik (”Ginger” (red-haired)) flew to an altitude of 100 km on June 2, 1954.
Smelaya and Malyshka
Smelaya (”Brave” or “Courageous”) was due to make a flight in September but ran away the day before the launch. Russian officials feared she had been eaten by wolves, but she was found the next day and went on to make a successful flight with a dog named Malyshka (”Little One”).
Bolik and ZIB
Bolik ran away just days before her flight in September 1951. A replacement named ZIB (a Russian acronym for “Substitute for Missing Bolik”), who was an untrained street dog found running around the barracks, was quickly located and made a successful flight.
Otvazhnaya and Snezhinka
Otvazhnaya (”Brave One”) made a flight on July 2, 1959 along with a rabbit named Marfusha (”Little Martha”) and another dog named Snezhinka (”Snowflake”). She went on to make 5 other flights between 1959 and 1960.
Albina and Tsyganka
Albina and Tsyganka (”Gypsy girl”) were both ejected out of their capsule at an altitude of 85 km and landed safely. Albina was one of the dogs shortlisted for Sputnik 2, but never flew in orbit.
Damka and Krasavka
Damka (”Little Lady”) and Krasavka (”Little Beauty”) were to make an orbital flight on December 22, 1960, but their mission was marked by a string of equipment failures. The upper stage rocket failed and the craft re-entered the atmosphere after reaching a sub-orbital apogee of 214 km. In the event of unscheduled return to the surface, the craft was to eject the dogs and self-destruct, but the ejection seat failed and the primary destruct mechanism shorted out. The animals were thus still in the intact capsule when it returned to the surface. The backup self-destruct mechanism was set to a 60 hour timer, so a team was quickly sent out to locate and recover the capsule. Although the capsule was reached in deep snow on the first day, there was insufficient remaining daylight to disarm the self-destruct mechanism and open the capsule. The team could only report that the window was frosted over in the -45 degree temperatures and no signs of life were detected. On the second day, however, the dogs were heard barking as the capsule was opened. The dogs were wrapped in sheepskin coats and flown to Moscow. Damka was also known as Shutka (”Joke”) or Zhemchuzhnaya (”Pearly”) and Krasavka was also known as Kometka (”Little Comet”) or Zhulka (”Cheater”).
Bars and Lisichka
Bars (”Panther” or “Lynx”) and Lisichka (”Little Fox”) were also on a mission to orbit but died after their rocket exploded 28.5 seconds into the launch on July 28, 1960. Bars was also known as Chayka (”Gull”).
Other dogs that flew on sub-orbital flights include Dymka (”Smoky”), Modnitsa (”Fashionable”) and Kozyavka (”Little Gnat”).
At least four other dogs flew in September 1951, and two or more were lost.
