Laika was a Soviet space dog who became the first animal to orbit Earth. She was launched into space aboard Sputnik 2 on November 3, 1957. Laika was a stray dog found on the streets of Moscow and was chosen for her small size and calm demeanor. Unfortunately, Laika did not survive the mission, as the technology to safely return living beings from space was not yet developed. Her journey provided valuable data about the effects of space travel on living organisms, paving the way for future human spaceflight missions.