• Question: is there such thing as a dog space suit?

    Asked by greywolf01 to Adam, Catherine, Karen, Leila, Nazim on 12 Mar 2012.
    • Photo: Adam Stevens

      Adam Stevens answered on 10 Mar 2012:

      I think the Russians are the only people to have sent a dog into space. After their first successful mission, Sputnik, they decided a dog would be a good thing to test next! Poor old Laika didn’t get a space suit though, just a little kind of space kennel.

      http://www.cold-war-sputnik-soviet-space-dog-laika.com/SUMMARY.html

      However, I do know that one russian guy has made a scuba diving suit for his dog, and that’s not that far away!

      http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_8780000/newsid_8787700/8787714.stm

    • Photo: Leila Battison

      Leila Battison answered on 10 Mar 2012:

      The Russians loved to send dogs into space! Laika was the first living thing (other than microbes) to be sent into space, in 1957, but she didn’t do very well, and sadly died before returning.

      But plenty of other dogs made the trip and came back safely, although always in roomy cabins – they wouldn’t have been able to go for space-walkies.

    • Photo: Nazim Bharmal

      Nazim Bharmal answered on 10 Mar 2012:

      I think so, like Adam said. Humans have put all sorts of animals in space (and not necessarily in a nice way, Laika the dog didn’t make it back to Earth.)

      But the amazing animal is the tardigrade, which are also called water bears,

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tardigrade

      which can survive in space without a space suit! They are basically like little insects, but a lot tougher than human beings.

    • Photo: Karen Masters

      Karen Masters answered on 12 Mar 2012:

      I know the Russians sent a dog into space (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika) but I don’t think she had a space suit, and there never was a plan to bring her back, so the poor thing just died up there. 🙁

Comments