No. 10 - Sputnik 2/Laika the Soviet Space Dog

Talk about doomed. Soviet space officials didn't even bother to provide a way to get their first living test subject back alive.

Laika, the stray dog adopted by the Russian space agency and turned into a space hero, blasted off and into orbit in November 1957. She was only alive in space for five to seven hours before dying of overheating and stress, but her body orbited Earth for five more months before her capsule, Sputnik 2, disintegrated during re-entry.

Today, she's commemorated on plaques, postage stamps and in history books as the first living creature to orbit the Earth.

PUZZLES: Space Puzzles
QUIZ: Space Quizzes
HOW STUFF WORKS: How Sputnik Worked
QUESTION: Ask The Survival Expert
TOOLS: Top Ten Survival Tools