On November 3, 1957, a Soviet space dog named Laika became the first animal to orbit Earth. Laika was a 3-year-old stray husky-spitz mix from the streets of Moscow, and she was recruited by the Soviet ...

Belka & Strelka postcard, USSR (1960), by the photomontage artist Sveshnikov. The flags read “Happy New Year,” with the dogs’ names on the inside of the cockpits. (© FUEL Publishing) Edited by Damon ...

On November 3, 1957, the Soviet Union launched a dog named Laika into space. She rode aboard the Sputnik 2 with only one meal and a seven-day oxygen supply. She made history as the first living ...

Dogs were among the first animals sent into outer space, and were a crucial part of the Soviet space program in the 1950s and ’60s. The first living being to orbit the Earth was a dog — the now-famous ...

In March, I visited the Lowell Observatory — the astronomical research site where Pluto was first discovered — in Flagstaff, Arizona. I stood in line to squint through telescopes at Jupiter and the ...

In the late 1950s, Moscow’s streets were full of stray dogs that adapted to freezing nights and scarce food. One small mixed‑breed stood out to Soviet researchers for her calm nature and size. She was ...

1. A path of burning light -- 2. Animals in the heavens -- 3. The making of a space dog -- 4. Scouting the atmosphere -- 5. A face in the window -- 6. First around the Earth -- Epilogue Summary The ...

NASM copy purchased with funds from the S. Dillon Ripley Endowment. "This fascinating book tells the story of the soviet space dogs, illustrated with legendary photographer Martin Parr's vintage space ...