![]() Then they designed a hinged metal cylinder the thickness of your thumb to be placed over the artery. This was called exteriorizing the artery. It was a simple operation to expose the neck artery of Laika and wrap skin around it, then close the wound. "We must make a tiny cuff for the artery in Laika's neck and take the pressure that way," one of the learned scientists suggested and they all agreed. Simply wrapping a blood pressure cuff around her leg and taking the blood pressure with a stethoscope like your doctor does when you go in to his office for a checkup was impossible. The scientists then had to decide on the best way to record Laika's blood pressure. It would come out of a little tube, a small amount at a time, just like toothpaste from a tube. Since she would be in space for several days a special jelly-like food was prepared containing both sufficient food and water for her needs. Once in space the holder would be withdrawn and the restraining springs loosened to allow Laika to move her head while floating about in the zero gravity of space, tethered by her vest. Springs attached the sides of the vests to the frame of the tiny cabin and a special holder was placed under Laika's jaw to help support her head during the launch forces. Next they devised a restraint harness not unlike the vests sometimes seen on dogs to keep them warm. Laika was to be the first Earth creature ever launched into space. ![]() "There is only one animal that fits," shouted one of the scientists, "A Beagle dog." His companions all agreed and a Beagle dog was chosen from the available animals. They wanted an animal that was calm and easy to handle and it must be intelligent. They wanted an animal that was sturdy and strong to stand the rigors of rocket launch. Finally one of the scientists said, "We will make a list of all the requirements we think are important and then select the animal which best matches our requirements." The other scientists agreed and made their list. The scientists rapidly set to work because only a few months remained before the deadline they were given for completion.Īfter careful consideration of all the many animals available to them from mice, rats and guinea pigs to monkeys, chimpanzees, rabbits and dogs, the scientists were in a quandary as to which animal to choose. They were to fully monitor all the body functions of the animal selected and transmit the information back to Earth. The scientists were told the animal selected could not exceed twenty pounds in weight and would be provided a small, heated cabin with sufficient air to breath just as if the animal still was on the surface of the Earth. Nevertheless they did as directed and set about the task. They thought space flight was impossible. The scientists were amused and whispered privately to each other how absurd was this request since as far as they knew no one had the huge rockets required to accomplish this undertaking. Once upon a time in a far-away land on the other side of the world some very learned scientists were asked to select and prepare an animal for a space flight of historic importance.
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