In the late 1940’s both Soviets and Americans began investigating the expanse of space by sending animals up, up and away. It began with fruit flies in 1947, grew to include monkeys in 1949 and mice in 1950, but no animal actually entered orbit until November 3rd, 1957, when Laika, a Soviet trained street dog, made history. Sputnik 1 was the first satellite to orbit the Earth, but Sputnik 2 (or more appropriately Muttnik) was the first satellite to reach orbit with a creature aboard. Laika…
