On November 3, 1957, Sputnik 2 was launched into space along with space's first Earthling: Laika, the stray dog. The technology to bring space craft back home had not yet been discovered, so it was known that this would be a one-way journey. Though scientists feel quite certain that she most likely didn't experience her journey quite long, animator Avgousta Zourelidi came up with her own depiction of the Laika's experience: From training to her final mission, all told in a series of flashbacks. Cue sad music.
Her legacy lives on though, including the name of the Oregon based animation studio that created Paranorman and Coraline (Studio Laika). Photos of the real Laika after the break.
|Tribute statue in Moscow (Via)|