MOSCOW, Nov 4: Russian space scientists have unveiled a plaque to mark the 40th anniversary of the first living creature sent into space Laika, a mongrel dog that died during the famous flight.

Laika, a stray found on the streets of Moscow, literally rocketed to fame aboard a Soviet space ship on November 3, 1957. The flight came only a month after the Soviets launched the space race by putting into orbit the first man-made satellite, Sputnik.

Laika's spacecraft had no descent capsule, and she burned up along with the satellite as it returned to the earth's atmosphere.

A plaque commemorating the contributions of Laika and other animals that were studied in the space programme was unveiled on Monday at the Institute for Aviation and Space Medicine, where Laika was trained for her flight.

Before Laika, Russia had two other canine cosmonauts that almost made it into space, flying in a rocket 70 kms above the earth. The dogs returned in their capsules by parachute and came back alive.

The dogs underwent extensive tests before being sent into space, and Laika and other were chosen because of their ability to remain calm for long periods of time.

They were trained to live in small modules, wear space clothing and eat specially prepared, jelly-like food, the report added. They were trained on a simulator so they could gradually learn to adapt to the roar of rockets and their vibrations.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.