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Sputnik 2

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Space transport

                       Sputnik 2
   Sputnik 2
     Organization:              Soviet Union
   Major Contractors:      Korolev Design Bureau
     Mission type:             Earth Science
     Satellite of:                 Earth
      Launch Date:    November 3, 1957 at 02:30:00 UTC
    Launch Vehicle:            R-7/SS-6 ICBM
         Decay:                April 14, 1958
   Mission Duration:              162 days
       NSSDC ID:                 1957-002A
        Webpage:         NASA NSSDC Master Catalog
         Mass:                    508.3 kg
    Semimajor Axis:              7,314.2 km
     Eccentricity:                .098921
      Inclination:                 65.33°
    Orbital Period:            103.7 minutes
       Apoapsis:                  1,660 km
       Periapsis:                  212 km
        Orbits:                    ~2,000
                       Instruments
   Dog Laika:          Biological data
   Geiger counters :   Charged particles
   Spectrophotometers: Solar radiation (ultraviolet and
                       x-ray emissions) and cosmic rays

   Sputnik 2 (Russian: Спутник-2, Satellite 2) was the second spacecraft
   launched into Earth orbit, on November 3, 1957, and the first to carry
   a living animal - a dog. It was a 4 meter high cone-shaped capsule with
   a base diameter of 2 meters. It contained several compartments for
   radio transmitters, a telemetry system, a programming unit, a
   regeneration and temperature control system for the cabin, and
   scientific instruments. A separate sealed cabin contained the
   experimental dog Laika.

   Engineering and biological data were transmitted using the Tral D
   telemetry system, which would transmit data to Earth for 15 minutes of
   each orbit. Two photometers were on board for measuring solar radiation
   (ultraviolet and x-ray emissions) and cosmic rays. Sputnik 2 did not
   contain a television camera (TV images of dogs on Sputnik 5 are
   commonly misidentified as Laika).

Mission profile

   Sputnik 2 was launched on an essentially unmodified ICBM R-7, similar
   to that used for Sputnik 1, to a 212 x 1660 km orbit with a period of
   103.7 minutes. After reaching orbit the nose cone was jettisoned
   successfully but the Blok A core did not separate as planned. This
   inhibited the operation of the thermal control system. Additionally
   some of the thermal insulation tore loose so the interior temperatures
   reached 40 °C. It is believed Laika survived for only a few hours
   instead of the planned ten days because of the heat. The orbit of
   Sputnik 2 decayed and it reentered Earth's atmosphere on 14 April 1958
   after 162 days in orbit.

Passenger

   The first being to enter orbit was a female part- Samoyed terrier
   originally named Kudryavka (Little Curly) but later renamed Laika
   ("Barker"). She weighed about 6 kg. The pressurized cabin on Sputnik 2
   allowed enough room for her to lie down or stand and was padded. An air
   regeneration system provided oxygen; food and water were dispensed in a
   gelatinized form. Laika was fitted with a harness, a bag to collect
   waste, and electrodes to monitor vital signs. The early telemetry
   indicated Laika was agitated but eating her food. There was no
   capability of returning a payload safely to Earth at this time, so it
   was planned that Laika would be euthanized with a poisoned serving of
   food after about 10 days of orbiting the Earth. However, in October
   2002 it was revealed by Russian sources that Laika had already died
   after a few hours from overheating and stress. The mission provided
   scientists with the first data on the behaviour of a living organism in
   the space environment.

Sputnik 2 and the Van Allen radiation belt

   Sputnik 2 was not able to detect the Van Allen radiation belts as it
   traveled far enough to the north such that it was under most of the
   radiation belt while it was monitorable from the USSR. It carried no
   tape recorder. The Geiger counters did report an increase from 400-700
   km but this was not interpreted as anything unusual. In Australia,
   Professor Harry Messel intercepted the signals but the Soviets would
   not provide the code and the Australians would not send the data. In
   1958, with Sputnik 3, they began to cooperate and confirmed the
   findings of Explorers 1, 3, and 4.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_2"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
