LAIKA - NICKNAMES - WEIGHT - AGE |
| Laika - (pronounced "LYE-kuh") means "barker" in Russian. During training, she was nicknamed Kudryavka, meaning "Little Curly". She was also referred to as Zhuchka "Little Beetle" and Limonchik "Lemon" and later, the American Press sometimes called her "Muttnik". Just before her flight she was officially renamed Laika (Barker) after her breed.(3C) Laika was the first earthling to orbit the planet. She was part-Samoyed terrier mix and weighed 13 to 14 pounds / 6.3 kilograms. As a stray, her age was uncertain but some sources estimate she was about two or three years old at the time of her flight. In some parts of the world Laika is spelled Layka, Lacia, or Lajka. |