They required intense training and numerous vaccines and were emotionally unstable. Oleg Gazenko, one of the leading scientists of the space program, even visited the circus to observe the famous monkey handler Capellini, who convinced him that monkeys were, in fact, problematic. Despite this, apes were initially considered as they more closely resemble man in many ways. Petrovich Pavlov had used them to great effect in his studies of the reflex system. Murray: Dogs had a history of scientific experimentation in the USSR. The text reads, “Zvezdochka.” (© FUEL Publishing / Marianne Van den Lemmer) Collectors Weekly: Why were dogs chosen over apes or cats? These were all being carefully tested and monitored by Soviet space-program scientists so they could determine whether space-flight was safe for humans.Ī 1961 confectionary tin with a portrait of Zvezdochka. No being had ever experienced such extremes-take-off and landing, zero-gravity. The flights with dogs were made to determine the effects of space on living organisms. It was vital that technological advances were not revealed-both the USSR and the USA attempted to keep any developments they made from each other in what became known as the Space Race. The text reads, “Belka and Strelka.” (© FUEL Publishing) Collectors Weekly: How did Soviet ideology influence the USSR space program?ĭamon Murray: Ideologically, socialism could not be seen to fail in any way it was for this reason that the Soviet space program was kept so secret. The text reads, “The First Sputnik Passenger-the dog ‘Laika.'” Above: A postcard featuring a photograph taken at the space dogs’ first press conference. Top: One of many matchbox label designs celebrating the first living being in space. Citing Turkina’s text and mining his own expertise, Murray answered our questions about this history via email. The resulting Soviet Space Dogs is a gorgeous work of art, containing adorable image after adorable image of the strays recruited against their will to pave the way for the first man is space, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, who orbited the Earth in 1961. Olesya Turkina, a senior research fellow at the Russian Museum, to write the text and edited, designed, and published the book with his business partner Stephen Sorrell. Everything from stamps and postal covers to toys, children’s books, cigarette packages, and candy tins featured these furry icons.ĭamon Murray, co-founder of FUEL Design and Publishing in London, came up with the idea to put a book together about the true story of these early space explorers. Laika, Belka, Strelka, and other publicized dog cosmonauts symbolized the ultimate Soviet heroism, seen as simple creatures laying down their lives for their country and the advancement of science. The next mutts launched into orbit-Belka and Strelka-landed safely, and became beloved pop stars at a time when the USSR frowned on celebrating individual achievements. (Similarly, during the Cold War-fueled Space Race, NASA in the United States sacrificed several monkeys and apes to test flight conditions for humans.) But some Soviet space dogs survived and went on to live relatively normal lives. Laika is not the only canine cosmonaut that died at the hands of the Soviet space program more than a dozen other dogs lost their lives before her. We did not learn enough from the mission to justify the death of the dog.” We treat them like babies who cannot speak.
“Working with animals is a source of suffering. Her story is central to Lasse Hallström’s 1985 movie, “My Life as a Dog,” and the 2005 Arcade Fire song, “Neighborhood #2 (Laika).” She’s had bands named after her, monuments erected to her, and countless mementos made with her image. Her lethal Sputnik 2 mission, when she was an unwitting pioneer in the USSR’s space program more than 57 years ago, has stuck in our collective consciousness. The dog Laika, the first living being to orbit the Earth, lives on in our memories.