The Complete Book of Spaceflight: From Apollo 1 to Zero Gravity

Korabl-Sputnik
Early Soviet spacecraft that served as test vehicles for the
Vostok manned flights; “Korabl-Sputnik” means “spaceship-satellite.”
They carried into orbit a variety of animals,
including dogs, rats, and mice. Korabl-Sputnik
(K-S) 1 to 5 were known in the West as Sputnik 4, 5, 6, 9,
and 10. (Sputnik 7 and 8 were launched as Venus probes,
the latter also known as Venera 1; see Venus unmanned
missions.) All were successfully placed in orbit, but the
first and third burned up during reentry—K-S 1 ended up
in a higher orbit than intended and reentered more than
two years later, while K-S 3 reentered on time but too
steeply and was lost.
Although a number of dogs traveled aboard these Vostok
precursors, the first dog in space was Laika, who rode
aboard Sputnik 2 but died in orbit. The successful recovery
of the Korabl canines proved that sizeable mammals
could not only endure space travel but could survive the
rigors of reentry, thus helping pave the way for manned
spaceflight.
On K-S 4 and 5, the dog passengers were accompanied
by a lifelike mannequin nicknamed Ivan Ivanovich. Ivan
was dressed in the same SK-1 pressure suit that Gagarin
would use, and looked eerily lifelike. In fact, technicians
were so concerned that anyone finding him might take
him for a real cosmonaut that they wrote “model” on his
forehead. As in the case of the human Vostok pilots who
would follow, Ivan was shot out of his capsule by ejection
seat after reentering the atmosphere. A parachute then
lifted him free of his seat to a soft landing. On his second
flight, Ivan came down near the city of Izevsk in the Ural
Mountains during a heavy snowstorm. The heroic
dummy has remained in his spacesuit ever since. (See
table, “Korabl-Sputnik Missions.”)
Korabl-Sputnik Missions
Korabl-Sputnik Launch Date Orbits Notes
Korolev, Sergei Pavlovich 223
Korolev, Sergei Pavlovich (1907–1966)
A Ukrainian-born rocket designer and engineer who masterminded
the Soviet Union’s early success in space. As a
youngster he was inspired by aviation and trained in
aeronautical engineering at the Kiev Polytechnic Institute.
Upon moving to Moscow, he came under the influence
and guidance of the aircraft designer Andrei
Tupolev and cofounded the Moscow rocketry organization
GIRD. Like the Verein für Raumschiffahrt in Germany
and Robert Goddard in the United States, GIRD
was, by the early 1930s, testing liquid-fueled rockets of
increasing size. Seeing the potential of these devices, the
Russian military seized control of GIRD and replaced it
with RNII (Reaction Propulsion Scientific Research Institute).
RNII developed a series of rocket-propelled missiles
and gliders during the 1930s, culminating in
Korolev’s RP-318, Russia’s first rocket-propelled aircraft.
But before the aircraft could make a powered flight,
Korolev was denounced by colleagues to the NKVD
(forerunner of the KGB), arrested, beaten, and, along
with other aerospace engineers, thrown into the Soviet
prison system during the peak of Stalin’s purges in 1937
and 1938. Korolev spent months in transit on the Trans-
Siberian railway and on a prison vessel at Magadan, followed
by a year in the Kolyma gold mines, the most
dreaded part of the Gulag. However, Stalin soon recognized
the importance of aeronautical engineers in preparing
for the impending war with Hitler, and set up a
system of sharashkas (prison-factories) to exploit the
incarcerated talent. Loyalty to the Soviet Union was a
hallmark of these gifted innovators: Korolev never
believed that Stalin was behind his arrests, even though
he wrote numerous letters to the Soviet leader protesting
his innocence without getting a reply.
1 May 15, 1960 Many Placed in orbit but planned reentry failed. Finally burned up after
844 days in space.
2 Aug. 19, 1960 17 Successful recovery of two dogs, Belka (Squirrel) and Strelka
(Little Arrow), plus 12 mice, 2 rats, and fruit flies.
3 Dec. 1, 1960 17 Burned up during too-steep reentry. Onboard were 2 dogs,
Pchelka (Bee) and Mushka (Little Fly), plus mice, insects, and
plants.
4 Mar. 9, 1961 1 Successful recovery of dog Chernushka (Blackie), mice, and
mannequin.
5 Mar. 25, 1961 1 Successful recovery of dog Zvezdochka (Little Star) and
mannequin.