◎胡立宗

Her name in translation means "barker," but in the end Laika, the first living creature in space, must have gone out whimpering.

她的名字「萊卡」意思是「咆哮者」，但萊卡這第一個進入太空的生物，最後應該是在不斷嗚咽中死亡。

When Soviet space scientists sent her up exactly 50 years ago this November 3, the two-year-old mongrel was expected to live for several days. In fact, it was later revealed, she lasted only a few hours.

當蘇聯太空科學家在50年前的11月3日將萊卡送上太空時，他們原本預期這隻2歲大的混種狗可以活上好幾天。事實上，事後披露的真相顯示，她大概只撐了幾個小時。

Soviet propaganda at the time said she would find a peaceful end through lack of oxygen after days of orbiting the Earth aboard Sputnik 2.

蘇聯當時宣稱，她會在史潑尼克2號繞行地球數天後，因缺氧而安詳死去。

A Russian scientist revealed just a few years ago, however, that she was killed by overheating in her tiny capsule after only a few hours in space.

不過，一名俄羅斯科學家幾年前透露，在發射後數小時，她就因為太空艙過熱而喪生。

Yet the memory of her flight in the 80-centrimetre metal cylinder is immortal. And there was a small degree of luxury for the first creature in space.

但她在（直徑）80公分的金屬圓筒中的太空飛行所留下的回憶，卻是永恆的。而對這個率先登上太空的生物來說，還算是享有一點點奢華。

The capsule that was her home and coffin had a tiny peephole, there was oxygen and food for seven days, and a cooling system-albeit one that failed under heat from the third stage of the rocket that failed to disengage.

既是她的居所也是棺材的太空艙上，有個小小的窺孔，還有夠用7天的氧氣和食物，以及一個降溫系統—雖然這個降溫系統在第3節火箭無法脫離後就因為高熱而失去作用。

新聞辭典

whimper：動詞，啜泣、抽噎、抱怨；名詞，啜泣聲、抽噎聲、牢騷。例句︰He listened her whimper without a word.（他不發一語聽她抱怨。）

end：名詞，末端、盡頭、目的、死亡、下場、結束。文中 a peaceful end，就是平靜地死去。

immortal：形容詞，不朽的、不死的；名詞，不朽人物、神話中的神。Nothing is immortal.（沒有東西能永遠留存。）