For several days in 1957 American audiences were captivated by the heroic tale of a dog, even if it was a dog of their ideological enemy. Russia had successfully tested space launch procedures, but it was not yet clear whether a living creature could survive weightlessness and other conditions in orbit. For the test, the Soviets chose a 13-pound stray taken from the streets of Moscow. They named her Laika.

On this day, November 3, in 1957 Laika was launched into space aboard the Sputnik 2, in a sealed chamber designed to provide enough food, water and oxygen to have her survive for 10 days. Alas, Laika’s was to be a one-way trip.

Russia never intended to bring Laika back – re-entry had not yet been perfected, and upon descent the craft would surely burn up. Plans were made to euthanize her with poisoned food before that happened, but the dog succumbed to a combination of heat and stress. Laika’s sacrifice paved the way for later successful roundtrip missions of other canines (Belka and Strelka), black mice (Sally, Amy and Moe) as well as an assortment of squirrels, turtles, guinea pigs, cats, ants, scorpions, hissing cockroaches, and on one occasion two golden orb spiders (which can reach 2 inches in size and have been known to prey on small birds and snakes). They were named Gladys and Esmeralda.