Russian Space Dogs

In the years after the second world war, during the 1950s and 1960s the UUSR sent dogs into space 57 times before a human cosmonaut was sent into space. During the testing and flight of the space ship a total of at least 20 dogs were killed.

To begin with the USSR sent dogs on Sub-orbital flights, 28 of these flights took place. The dogs flew onboard R-1, R-2A, R-2 and R-5 rockets. The dogs wore hand knitted clothes during these flights, then during the flights involving the R-2 and R-5 rockets they were contained insidea pressured cabin. The R-1 and R-2A rockets were fored 100Km into space, during this time the dogs experienced a G force of around 5G’s. The dogs then briefly experienced weightlesness before falling back to earth and experiencing 5G’s again.

The first dogs to experience a Sub-orbital flight were Dezik and Tsygan. Their flight took place on July 22, 1951. Both dogs returned to earth unharmed. After the flight Tsygan retired and become a pet for the Soviet physicist Anatoli Blagonravov.

Smelaya and Malyshka were the next pair of dogs to be sent into a Sub-orbital flight, however the day before the flight Smelaya ran away, she was found and went on to have the succesfull light with Malyshka. Again the day before Bolik was due to fly in September 1951, she ran away. She was not found. However an untrained dog from the barracks was put in his place, know as ZIB (Russian for Substitute for Missing Bolik). Albina, Tsyganka and a rabbit called Marfusha made a flight on July 2, 1959.

In developing a space craft for humans the USSR developed saftey system including escape capsules designed for use in space and underwater. The space systems were tested with Albina and Tsyganka being ejected out of the space craft at an altitude of 85 km. They both landed safley.

The next flight was ment to be an Orbital flight involving Damka and Krasavka, however there were a series of system faliures and a 214Km the upper stage rocket failed and the craft re-entered the atmosphere. In this event the dogs were suppost to be ejected and the craft to then self destruct, howver both of these system also failed. A secondary self destruct mode was included, this was set to a 60 hour timer. A rescue team was sent to the and rescue the dogs. On arrival it was too dark to disarm the self-destruct mechanism and open the capsule. The team reported that the temperature was -45 degrees and that no life was detected. However when the capsule was opened the following day, the dogs were found alives, they were flown staight to Moscow. Bars and Lisichkawere not as lucky as Damka and Krasavka, they died 28.5 seconds into an Orbital flight after their rocket exploded on July 28, 1960.