MOSCOW, March 16. /TASS/. Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos has published declassified documents timed for the 55th jubilee of the completion of a 22-day flight by the Soviet Kosmos-110 spacecraft that set a record by an altitude and the duration of the stay of living beings in orbit.
"Today the state corporation Roscosmos presents a set of declassified documents on the preparation and implementation of this historic mission," Roscosmos said on its website.
In particular, Roscosmos published photo and video materials, and also letters, decisions by the state commission, minutes of the state commission’s sessions, a flight assignment from the Cytology Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences, a program of biomedical research and other materials.
On February 22, 1966, the dogs Veterok and Ugolyok went on an orbital flight around Earth aboard the Kosmos-110 spacecraft (an upgraded version of the Voskhod spaceship). The dogs safely returned to Earth in 22 days, making a record long duration flight by living beings in orbit. The mission’s scientific results were used to prepare long-term crewed missions.
"The Kosmos-110 flight program stipulated studying the factors of impact on biological organisms of a three-week flight in orbit passing through the Earth’s inner radiation belt, as well as testing life support systems for future long-term piloted expeditions," Roscosmos noted.
Dogs’ orbital flight
During the flight, the dogs stayed in environmentally-controlled pressurized cabins and wore special suits that kept them from making excess movements. The animals were fed through a special tube that directed food into their stomachs. The dogs made their flight along with bacteria, plant seeds and yeast cultures.
When Veterok and Ugolyok returned to Earth, they were examined at the laboratory of the Institute of Biomedical Problems. The dogs looked thin, grew tired quickly, preferred to lie down and were constantly thirsty.
"As a result of the impact of cosmic radiation, their hair thinned and fell out in clumps. However, three days later, they got to their senses and fully recovered in several weeks," Roscosmos specified.
The dogs Veterok and Ugolyok lived a full-fledged life after their space flight at animal quarters of the Institute of Biomedical Problems and produced healthy offspring.