Soviet Union's Laika space mission truth revealed

In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the dog Laika into orbit aboard Spoutnik 2, making her one of the most iconic symbols of the early space race. While the mission was officially presented as a success where Laika died peacefully after several days, the truth was revealed decades later.

In 2002, scientist Dimitri Malachenkov disclosed that Laika actually died within five to seven hours of launch due to overheating caused by a failure in the thermal regulation system. At the time, reentry technology did not yet exist to allow for a safe return to Earth.