Dr. Vladimir Yazdovksy: Laika's Journey To Orbit Space

Laika is the name of the first dog sent to orbit space. She was a stray dog found almost a week before the rocket was set to launch to outer space. Laika was chosen to be launched because of her calm demeanor and small stature. On November 3 1957, Laika was launched on a one-way trip to outer space, by reason of the technology at reach was not advanced enough to bring her back home. This launch was done to measure the safety of space travel for humans. Laika was a very nice and a great dog; a staff member from the space center would periodically bring her home to play with his children. Furthermore, Dr. Vladimir Yazdovksy wrote in his scientific journal noting, “Laika was quiet and charming” (Latson). Considering this was a one way trip,

This mission angered the many people who realized that it was a suicide mission for Laika. After being launched to orbit space, Russian officials claimed that she “died painlessly in orbit about a week after blast-off” (Whitehouse). New evidence recently surfaced describing Laika’s real cause of death. The drearisome truth is that she died within five to seven hours of being launched into space from overheating and stress. This is supported by the fact that the temperature and humidity gradually were increasing and her heart rate elevated three times resting level. Laika’s story is one of thousands that show how animal testing can be cruel and inhumane. Luckily, modern day technology would not need animals to test a rocket to send to outer space. Using animals for scientific or commercial testing is cruel and inhumane, the results of experiments involving animals can be misleading and alternative testing methods are available to replace

To begin, the Humane Society International lists some replacements of animals such as “cell-based studies, silicon chip biosensors, and computational systems biology models, can provide faster and more human-relevant answers to medical and chemical safety questions that animal experiments cannot match” (About Animal Testing). Modern day technology allows humans to create scenarios on computers to match the results on a human being that could save time and money. Geoff Watts, author of a scientific journal named Alternatives to animal experimentation, explains how computers can reduce animal testing by using:
Mathematical models and computer simulations generate the most unqualified enthusiasm among campaigners. One of their underlying principles is that the biological effects of a chemical will depend on the size, shape, and other characteristics of its molecules, making it possible to predict toxicity without actual testing. The database on which such systems rely will, of course, have come from animal experiments. But once the relation between molecular structure and activity is understood, the toxicity of any new substance can be predicted with a computer instead of measured in a mouse.