The day the first animal orbited the Earth – level 1

03-11-1957

In October 1957, the Soviet Union sends the first satellite into orbit named Sputnik 1. Then, Moscow wants to send the first animal into orbit. The government wants to send a dog.

It finds a dog in the streets of Moscow. The name of the dog is Laika. She is a very calm dog.

The day before the flight, one doctor takes Laika home. She plays with his children.

Then November 3, 1957, comes. Laika goes into orbit on board Sputnik 2.

Laika dies after 7 hours because there is a problem. The temperature in Sputnik 2 is very high.

Now, people know that an animal can live in orbit for some hours. In the next years, people start to prepare the flight for the first person. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin is the first person who goes into orbit.

Difficult words: into (in a direction to something where it stays), orbit (a way around the Earth in space), calm (relaxed and quiet), flight (a way in a plane or rocket).

What might Laika's thoughts have been before her launch into space?

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