Korabl-Sputnik 4

Korabl-Sputnik 4

Mission type	Biological Technology
Harvard designation	1961 Theta 1
SATCAT №	91
Mission duration	1 hour, 41 minutes
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	Vostok-3KA
Manufacturer	OKB-1
Launch mass	4,700 kilograms (10,400 lb)
Start of mission
Launch date	9 March 1961, 06:29:00 UTC
Rocket	Vostok-K 8K72K s/n E103-14
Launch site	Baikonur 1/5
End of mission
Landing date	9 March 1961, 08:09:54 UTC
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee	173 kilometres (107 mi)
Apogee	239 kilometres (149 mi)
Inclination	64.93 degrees
Period	88.6 minutes

Korabl-Sputnik 4^[1] (Russian: Корабль-Спутник 4 meaning Ship-Satellite 4) or Vostok-3KA No.1, also known as Sputnik 9 in the West,^[2] was a Soviet spacecraft which was launched in 1961. Carrying the mannequin Ivan Ivanovich, a dog named Chernushka, some mice and a guinea pig, it was a test flight of the Vostok spacecraft.^[3]

Korabl-Sputnik 4 was launched at 06:29:00 UTC on 9 March 1961, atop a Vostok-K carrier rocket flying from Site 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.^[1] It was successfully placed into low Earth orbit. The spacecraft was only intended to complete a single orbit, so it was deorbited shortly after launch, and reentered on its first pass over the Soviet Union. It landed at 08:09:54 UTC, and was successfully recovered. During the descent, the mannequin was ejected from the spacecraft in a test of its ejection seat, and descended separately under its own parachute.^[4]

References

1. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
2. Wade, Mark. "Vostok". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
3. Gray, Tara (1998). "A Brief History of Animals in Space". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved 3 May 2007.
4. Wade, Mark. "Soyuz". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 28 July 2010.