We’ll never know how much Laika knew when he was volunteered for his Sputnik mission but there was a strong suspicion back on Earth, if not the knowledge, that he wasn’t coming home. It was a one way trip. We all get a finite number of orbits, pal.
Dogs In Space
What rough beast 
I read about Laika when I was a little girl and was very upset at what happened to her. The scientists always intended for her to die up there.
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And when you read the history of space exploration, you’ll find it wasn’t just dogs, but mice, and monkeys and all manner of creatures sent up, and all the players were performing experiments on prisoners here on Earth. They sacrificed the most vulnerable creatures to attain goals that have yet to be really defined, let alone realized. Don’t get me wrong, because I’m all about The Space Age. I just think maybe it should be volunteers cognizant of the inherent risk.
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Oh, the poor chimp. That made me cry too.
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