If youâre thinking of splashing out on a new ride, why not check out some of our London Cyclist reader comments on what to consider when buying a new bike. Of course, if youâre well and truly happy with the ride youâve got, weâd love to hear what material your frame is made of, and why you think it tops the restâ¦.
Nov. 3, 1957: The Soviet Union sends the first living creature into orbit. It was a Space Race victory that would have broken Sarah McLachlanâs heart. On this day, Nov. 3, in 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first-ever living animal into orbit: a dog named Laika. The flight was meant to test the safety of space travel for humans, but it was a guaranteed suicide mission for the dog, since technology hadnât advanced as far as the return trip.
On April 11, 2008, Russian officials unveiled a monument to Laika. A small monument in her honour was built near the military research facility in Moscow that prepared Laika's flight to space. It features a dog standing on top of a rocket. She also appears on the Monument to the Conquerors of Space in Moscow.hree dogs were trained for the Sputnik 2 flight: Albina, Mushka, and Laika. Soviet space-life scientists Vladimir Yazdovsky and Oleg Gazenko trained the dogs. To adapt the dogs to the confines of the tiny cabin of Sputnik 2, they were kept in progressively smaller cages for periods of up to 20 days.