Before the launch, one of the mission scientists took Laika home to play with his children. In a book chronicling the story of Soviet space medicine, Vladimir Yazdovsky wrote, "Laika was quiet and charming ... I wanted to do something nice for her: She had so little time left to live."[16]

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One of the technicians preparing the capsule before final liftoff: "After placing Laika in the container and before closing the