"The earth is blue. How wonderful. She is amazing! "
These were some of the words uttered by the first man in space, the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, on April 12, 1961. He said them while contemplating planet Earth through the hatch of the Vostok I capsule (which in Russian means “East”). From this amazement, our planet started to be recurrently adjectived by its blue color.
But the most famous message emitted by a living being from space, more specifically from the Moon, and received on Earth, will be the one with which the late Neil Armstrong historically enchanted us on July 20, 1969, in a metaphor of what each one of us, in his smallness, can do for humanity: “This is a small step for man, a giant leap for humanity".
The radio communication between Yuri Gagarin and the technical personnel of the control center on Earth, in the territory of the former Soviet Union, constitutes the first sending of messages by a human being from space to Earth. But were these the first messages from living beings in space picked up by humans on Earth? Not.
In the late 50s of the last century, some animals were sent into space aboard spaceships, precisely to prepare and adjust the aerospace technology that would send humans into space in the following decade.
The first known living being to orbit planet Earth was an example of man's best friend: a dog. By the way, a female dog named Laika (in Russian Лайка), selected from among the dogs of the streets of Moscow. Laika was launched into space aboard the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik II on November 3, 1957.
Laika will perhaps have barked, barked, moaned, growled, howled, and perhaps silently contemplated her vision of planet Earth. However, I do not know if the capsule in which the Earth orbited had any hatch that allowed it to see space and Earth. But your vital signs were tracked telemetrically at the mission control center, so we can consider these the first signs of life received from space: 100 beats per minute from your heart!
At least, from her signs of life, heartbeat, breathing and other physiological functions, we can deduce that in the two complete orbits she made to the planet (she died much earlier than planned due to stress and overheating of the capsule) Laika ate calmly.
Has it always been silent? If not, have their sounds been heard and recorded on Earth? Was a bark the first message from a living being in space to be picked up on Earth?
(Go on)
Author Antonio Piedade
Science in the Regional Press
Comments