HUTCHINSON, Kan. — At a time when the former Soviet Union was leading the way in space travel, the thought of human space travel was still down the road. But the Soviets scored another of many firsts in the space program when they launched a small dog into orbit. That dog, named Laika, will be the subject of tomorrow’s Coffee at the Cosmo starting at 9 a.m. at the Cosmosphere.

Laika was a stray dog from the streets of Moscow and was selected to be the occupant of the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 that was launched into outer space on Nov. 3, 1957.

Little was known about the impact of spaceflight on living creatures at the time of Laika’s mission and the technology to de-orbit had not yet been developed, so Laika’s survival was never expected. Some scientists believed humans would be unable to survive the launch or the conditions of outer space, so engineers viewed flights by animals as a necessary precursor to human missions.

Coffee at the Cosmo is free to the public. Coffee and pastries are provided. Watch cosmo.org for more information.