The space race between the United
States and Russia during the Cold War era was marked by a relentless
pursuit of technological advancement and national pride. But behind the
scenes, a disturbing reality emerged: animals were subjected to brutal treatment
in the name of space exploration. From dogs sent to orbit in the Soviet Union to chimpanzees
accelerated on rocket sleds in the United States, these animals were used as test subjects
in the race to conquer the final frontier. In 1961, th
e world was captivated by
the Soviet Union's successful launch of the Sputnik satellite, sparking fierce
competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to be the first country to
launch a human into space. President John F. Kennedy understood the significance of this
achievement and called on Congress to take the necessary steps to send an American
to the moon by the end of the decade. This was a momentous challenge, but
the United States was determined to take a leading role i
n space exploration. However, what many people didn't know was the cost of
this achievement, the use of test animals, including dogs and monkeys, in the name of the
space race. These experiments were kept hidden from the public but later on, the truth about the
cruel treatment of these animals was revealed. In the Soviet Union, stray dogs were used for
experiments. These dogs were well-known to the physiologists who had been working with them
for years, and they believed that mongrels were
more resilient and better suited
to the harsh conditions of space travel. But even among stray dogs, there were strict
selection criteria. Candidates had to weigh no more than six kilograms, be no taller than
35 centimetres, and have short fur to make it easier to attach the necessary sensors.
Among these dogs, female candidates were preferred for the first ground-based experiments,
as it was easier to build a toilet for them, as they didn't have to lift one leg to relieve
themselves. But i
t wasn't just about practicality, these animals also had to look good on camera,
as they were often used in promotional photos. One such dog was Lyca, a stray dog found
on the streets of Moscow in 1957. Due to her calm demeanour, she was selected as the main
candidate for launch. As scientists trained her, they became deeply attached to
her. In fact, before the launch, they were so emotional that they said
goodbye to her with tears in their eyes. This cannot be said about the American scien
tists
who prepared Ham the chimp to fly into space. He wasn't even given a name until
the last moment, but in the end, he was named after the acronym for the Holloman
Aerospace Medical Center in New Mexico. NASA claimed to use only legally
obtained animals for flights, but the reality was far from that.
In the case of Ham, a chimpanzee, he was kidnapped by poachers as an infant and then
sold to NASA for 450 dollars. But unfortunately, the most difficult challenges for Ham
and other animal
s were yet to come. As the countdown to lift-off began, Soviet scientists worked tirelessly to
ensure that the animals selected for space travel were able to endure the cramped
and enclosed conditions of the flight. Lyka in particular underwent a rigorous training
program to prepare her for the sealed capsule that would be her home during the journey.
The scientists gradually acclimated Lyka to smaller and smaller cells, until she was able
to stay locked up for up to 20 days at a time. In a
ddition to the confinement, Lyka was
also subjected to intense simulations of the gravity and noise levels she
would experience during the flight, including being spun in a centrifuge. Eventually, she stopped being frightened by the sounds
and learned to sit quietly in its experimental equipment, making it possible to record the
biocurrence of the heart muscles and brain. While the training of dogs like Lyka may
have been considered relatively humane, the same cannot be said for the treatme
nt of
monkeys at Holloman Air Force Base in the United States. These poor animals were subjected to the
brutal force of the Sonic Wind 1 rocket sled, accelerating them at a speed of 640 kilometers
per hour before coming to a sudden and violent stop. The result was devastating, with many
chimpanzees suffering severe concussions and even having their organs destroyed as
they slammed against their skull bones. --
Tragically, even after these initial deaths, the scientists
persisted in their c
ruel experimentation, continuing to study the impact of sudden
changes in airflow. They even went so far as to install special windshields on the
sleds, which would detach at a specific moment, exposing the pilots to powerful currents of air.
One launch ended in tragedy when the airflow tore the spacesuit off of one chimpanzee, leaving him
with 40% burn injuries. He died the next day, but the launches continued, with
more animals suffering the same fate. The journey of the American monkey p
ilot, Enos,
was a tumultuous one from the start. The launch of the spacecraft carrying him was plagued with
delays, leaving him stranded in the cramped cabin for three long hours. And though the takeoff
itself was successful, Enos was subjected to pressures nearly eight times greater than
Earth's gravity. But the worst was yet to come. In the name of science, the scientists installed
a series of levers and light bulbs in the cabin, tasking Enos with solving various puzzles, such as
pulling
the correct lever to turn off a light. But if he made a mistake, he was met with a painful
electric shock. Though he performed most of the tasks correctly, a malfunction in the current
supply system resulted in him being shocked 33 times in a row. Confused and frightened, Enos
could not understand why he was being punished. Let's go back to Lyka. Like Enos, she
was also confused and frightened by the strange and unknown experience of space
travel. As the countdown to launch began, her hear
tbeat skyrocketed to an alarming 260
beats per minute, three times her normal rate, and her breathing became rapid and laboured. But
as the spacecraft ascended into zero gravity, her vital signs began to stabilize. However,
just eight hours after launch, disaster struck. The system responsible for regulating
the temperature in the capsule failed, causing the air to become unbearably hot at 42
degrees Celsius, making it difficult for Leica to breathe. The flight control center on Earth was
powerless to intervene as the malfunction was on the capsule itself. Contact with the satellite
was lost and there was no further information on Lyka's condition. To this day, the fate of Lyka
and other animals sent to space remains a mystery. The official story of Lyka's death was that she
had passed away after ingesting poison that had been mixed into her food in advance, to save
her from a painful death upon re-entry. However, the reality was far from that. In
reality, Lyka had died afte
r six hours of suffering from overheating in the
cabin. Nevertheless, the Soviet Union used the mission for propaganda purposes and
the space dog Lyka became world famous. The fate of American chimpanzee pilots Ham and
Enos was vastly different. Upon returning to Earth, Ham's capsule deviated 160 kilometres
off course, and he landed in the middle of the Atlantic, almost drowning while waiting
for rescue. As a reward for his sacrifice, Ham received nothing but a simple
apple. Enos also land
ed in the sea, and upon being pulled from the water, was found to
be furious. He had broken out of his restraints, ripped off his medical sensors and
pulled out his urinary catheter. He died a year later of a severe form of dysentery
and received no recognition for his sacrifices. Lyka's mission did yield some results and
scientists learned about solar and cosmic radiation, but the experiment with Enos can be
considered a failure. Due to system malfunctions, scientists were never able to fu
lly evaluate the
primate's performance in space. And as American pilot John Glenn was preparing to travel to
the stars on the Mercury Atlas 6 spacecraft, media attention quickly shifted away
from Enos and he was simply forgotten. While the quest to explore the great beyond
has led to many groundbreaking discoveries and advancements in technology,
it is important to remember the sacrifices made by the animals who
played a part in these achievements.
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