On this day in 1957, Laika the Space Dog became the first Earth animal to orbit the planet in space. She also died the same day, when her compartment in Sputnik 2 overheated.

Sputnik 2 had been hurried into production and launched less than a month after Nikita Kruschev ordered a second Sputnik be in outer space on Nov. 7, 1957, the 40th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. Despite the compressed timeline, the launch and mission were a success, if you accept the fact that the Russians never intended for Laika to survive. She was a stray from the streets of Moscow; her name is a generic term for several Russian dog breeds that literally translates as “barker.”

I don’t blame Laika for barking a lot. Maybe she knew.

Anyway, it’s a slow night tonight, not much happening in the world. Have a good one. Night thread.