Ethics
Laika’s mission is remembered to this day in part because of the cruelty and unfairness of her situation.
Her mission, which became a sensation the world over, brought into question the ethics of animal testing for the advancement of science. Polish physicist Krzysztof Boruń described the Sputnik 2 mission as “regrettable” and criticised not bringing Laika back to Earth alive as “undoubtedly a great loss for science”.
Within the Soviet Union, there was little open criticism at the time due to pressure from the government, but internationally, hearts went out to Laika and people expressed their anger over the unfairness she endured.
In the UK, the National Canine Defense League called on all dog owners to observe a minute’s silence on each day Laika remained in space, and people from the RSPCA were protesting the mission even before the launch. In the US, people demonstrated in New York outside the United Nations Headquarters. People around the world protested outside of Soviet embassies.
It was fairly widely accepted that what happened to Laika was cruel and unfair, and it did not need to happen the way it did.
After the fall of the Soviet regime in 1998, Oleg Gazenko, one of the scientists responsible for sending Laika into space, stepped forward and expressed his regret:
