Nothing excites consciousness so much as the thought of infinity and freedom. Probably, precisely such sensations can be felt while in space, looking at the Earth from above. However, the first traveler who went into orbit was not a man at all, but his best friend - a dog.
The opening of the space age
Today, even schoolchildren know who Squirrel and Strelka are. The flight into space of these animals became a sensation and the beginning of incredible discoveries. However, it all started with an ordinary dream. The desire of man to understand his nature, to look at life through the eyes of the gods - all this constantly pushes scientists to new discoveries and is steadily developing technology.
The beginning of the space era was laid in the fifties of the last century. When mankind with might and main mastered the celestial space and decided to encroach on something more. The story of the space flight of Squirrel and Strelka is just an introduction to something more meaningful and incredible.
Superpower Fight
The rivalry between America and Russia has been going on for many decades. And the moment of acquaintance with space became one of the points of this long struggle.
The US government has never concealed its intentions to be the first to conquer the vast expanses of space. Moreover, they actively popularized this idea among the population. They complained and prepared the inhabitants for a sensational historical step.
Even constantly doubting and checking all the information provided, the journalists believed in a positive outcome of the events. Everyone was ready to celebrate the victory, but in this race the first to come to the finish line was a completely different state. The Soviet Union not only carried out the flight of Squirrel and Strelka into space, but was also the first to send an artificial Earth satellite into orbit .
When a year later, in 1958, the Americans managed to bring the Explorer 1 into orbit, people could not forgive the deception and began to call the satellite a comic nickname, "orange."
For the first time having received a satellite signal from space, mankind realized that its open spaces can be subdued, studied, understood. This was a new step in the history of people.
Who will fall for the choice
The first rocket launches with living things began with dogs: this was the famous flight of Squirrel and Strelka into space. A brief summary of this story is familiar to everyone almost from childhood. However, a competitive moment was present to some extent here, which is often forgotten to mention.
Which of the animals is more suitable for such a responsible trip? Naturally, the first thing we noticed was primates. They, like no other, are like people. But the monkeys turned out to be more sensitive, perhaps due to a more developed self-awareness. They felt something was amiss and put up extreme resistance.
The Americans were able to achieve the desired only with the help of sleeping pills. Soviet scientists found this practice unacceptable and were afraid of incorrect results. And the choice fell on the dogs.
And then the story of the preparation of the four-legged began, among which were the Squirrel and Strelka. The space flight of the dogs was carefully planned. They went through a number of tests and checks.
Living creature outside the earth
Unfortunately, the first dog, who knew weightlessness, could not return to his native land. But he opened the way for others, made possible the safe flight of dogs into space: Squirrels and Arrows.
It's hard to believe, but then few scientists believed that you could survive in the absence of attraction. It was believed that in zero gravity a living organism perishes. That is why the first rocket sent with a dog, whose name was Laika, was one-way transport.
No one cared about developing tools that would help return to Earth. And this flight itself was supposed to answer the question "are such inventions necessary?"
But as time showed, the dog survived and had a good flight. This was one of the most important steps. Now it is time to send a team that could return and become a living confirmation of the possibility of being in space.
Victims in the name of science
Laika was not the only dead dog during the long space exploration process. But only she was sent to death intentionally. Others fell victim to failed rocket launch experiments. Technical development in this area was just beginning, and it was simply impossible to take into account all the details. Four-legged friends died in disasters related to the breakdown of rockets.
But each such tragedy showed weaknesses, outlined mistakes. Subsequently, all this saved a person’s life. Scientists corrected their mistakes in time, finalized the installation, and one day they nevertheless achieved a positive result. Now the first flight of the Squirrel and Strelka dogs into space was just around the corner.
And it became possible thanks to Mishka, Chizhik, Ginger, Bulba, Fox, Palm, Cannon and Button, whose names rarely appear in stories about space exploration.
I would like to note that scientists treated dogs very kindly and with love. Each pet’s death was hard experienced. During life, they were carefully taken care of and created better conditions.
Thorough preparation
The natural question of every person who studies the first space flight is: "How was the Squirrel and the Arrow selected?" Where did all the subjects come from?
The answer is quite simple. All four-legged friends were formerly homeless street dogs. Survival in harsh conditions in a certain way tempered their character, made them more resilient.
In addition, stringent specifications of physical standards have been put forward. First, the mutts were supposed to be small. Because the capsule could not accommodate large specimens. Individuals with a height of not more than 35 cm were selected, each weighing approximately six kilograms.
An interesting fact is that all twelve applicants who were trained were exclusively females. Why? The answer is quite prosaic. Designing a toilet for them is much easier than for males.
Secondly, all dogs were with light hair, so that they stand out better on black and white monitors. But they did not forget about aesthetic external data. After all, each applicant could become a celebrity whose photos the whole world will see.
What's in your name
By digging a little in the depths of history, we can find out that the flight of Squirrel and Strelka into space was actually carried out by the Marquise and Albina. But these are not other dogs, but the same ones.
The fact is that the person who oversaw the project considered the names of Albin and Marquis unsuitable for Soviet heroes. Too strong a foreign shade they carried in themselves. That is why the dogs were given other names, more Soviet, understandable to every ordinary person.
After going through all the stages of training, training, they were ready - Squirrel and Strelka. Flying into space changed not only their future, but also ours.
Time spent in space
Finally, all preparations were over. However, the first pair of dogs, selected as the best team, tragically died during the start, the stage failed and the rocket crashed.
That is why the flight of Squirrel and Strelka into space took place. The date of this event is August 19, 1960.
Special sensors were connected to the body of the animals, which recorded all vital processes and reactions of the body to being in zero gravity. Information came to Earth, and scientists quickly processed all the data.
Thanks to this journey, science received a lot of new information, which previously knew nothing. The results of a physical, biochemical and even genetic condition were obtained.
Now it became clear that one can survive in space. So, the man’s flight is just around the corner.
How did the Squirrel and Strelka fly into space? In principle, quite steadily. Only in the fourth round did the behavior of one of them change. The squirrel became nervous, barking, trying to break out of the mounts. But after her return, her condition returned to normal.
Amazing coincidence
The first flight into space was not without fun. Squirrel and Strelka pretty surprised the observers. The fact is that at the same time the US satellite worked in orbit. Its trajectory ran above the rocket with the dogs. But at one of the turns, they were close enough to each other. The dogs seemed to sense the presence of a competitor and burst into a loud bark, which stopped as soon as the rocket moved away from the satellite.
The most famous dogs
1960 is the year of Squirrel and Arrow’s flight into space. This event has changed the lives of many people and, of course, the fate of the dogs themselves.
Returning to Earth, they became famous throughout the world. Their photos were printed by all the most famous publications.
The next day, they took part in a press conference where journalists came from all over the world. After all, this event concerned every person, everyone wanted to get the maximum information.
After the hype subsided, the life of dogs returned to normal. They were provided with everything necessary for a full existence. Dogs were taken to kindergartens, shelters, schools, and children were introduced to them. The whole world adored these animals. Soviet children looked at them with a smile and pride.
Dogs lived to a very old age, and Strelka even pleased everyone with young offspring. She had as many as six puppies. Khrushchev presented one of them to the daughter of President Kennedy.
Who knows what thoughts Pushinka caused at the head of America. Perhaps this has become a constant reminder of the lost leadership positions in space exploration. Or maybe, on the contrary, served as an additional incentive.
The space age is declared open
So you found out what the Squirrel and Arrows flight into space was. The summary of history is unlikely to convey all the feelings that lived in the hearts of scientists, rulers and ordinary people.
But this event has been imprinted in history for centuries as the first step that made it possible to open outer space to man. And all thanks to our smaller brothers.
Before the flight of Yuri Gagarin, four more trips were made by dogs. The name of one of them he gave - Asterisk. She returned from flight at the end of March 1961. And on April 12, the first man went on an unforgettable journey.
Surprisingly, the dog from ancient times was considered a friend and helper of man. And at such a crucial and important moment of development, she was close by.