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Racing pulse
According to Dr Malashenkov a great deal of work had to be done to adapt a group of dogs to the conditions in the tight cabin of Sputnik 2. They were kept in gradually smaller cages for periods up to 15-20 days.
Medical sensors placed on Laika indicated that during launch her pulse rate went up by a factor of three above its resting level.
At the start of weightlessness her pulse rate decreased. It took three times longer than after a centrifuge ride on the ground to return Laika's heartbeat to pre-launch values, an indication of the stress she was suffering.
Death in space
After five to seven hours into the flight, no lifesigns were being received from Laika. By the fourth orbit it was apparent that Laika had died from overheating and stress.
Previously, it has been thought that Laika survived at least four days in space and perhaps even a week when Sputnik's transmitters failed.
Despite surviving for just a few hours, Laika's place in space history is assured and the information she provided proved that a living organism could tolerate a long time in weightlessness and paved the way for humans in space.
Laika's coffin circled the Earth 2570 times and burned up in the Earth's atmosphere on 4 April 1958.
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