From the years 1957 to 1966 in preparation for
human space travel Russia (
USSR) launched 13
dogs into Space. Through these flights
Russia was able to gather
scientific data which led to the first successful manned
orbit of the
Earth. At least seven countries have honored these unwilling
canine space pioneers with
stamps including Russia,
Romania,
Poland,
Mongolia,
North Korea and the
Turks & Caicos Islands.
Canine Cosmonauts:
- Laika: Sputnik 2; November 3, 1957
Female Siberian Husky mutt.
She died after the power source to the satellites life-support ran down. Sputnik 2 returned to Earth April 14, 1958, burned up on reentry.
- Bars "Lynx" and Lisichka "little fox": July 28, 1960
The boosters exploded and both dogs were killed on take-off.
- Belka "Squirrel" and Strelka "Little arrow": Sputnik 5; August 19, 1960
These were the first dogs to be recovered alive.
When Strelka later had a litter of puppies then President Kennedy received one as a gift.
- Pchelka "Little bee" and Mushka "Little Fly": Sputnik 6; December 1, 1960
Retrofire burn was performed incorrectly and the capsule's reentery angle was too steep; both dogs died.
- Damka "Little Lady" and Krasavka "Beauty" Korable Sputnik; December 22, 1960
The dogs were recovered after a suborbital flight after the failure of Sputniks upper stage rocket boosters.
- Chernushka "Blackie": Sputnik 9; March 9, 1961
Co-piloted by mice and a guinea pig, a one orbit mission.
- Zvezdochka "Little Star", named by cosmonaut Yuri Gagrin: Sputnik 10; March 25, 1961
Orbited the Earth once. (Preparation for Gagrins Vostok 1 mission)
- Verterok "Breeze" and Ugolyok "Little piece of coal": Kosmos 110, February 22, 1966
Orbited for 22 days, progress monitored via video and biomedical telemetry. Landed March 16, 1966 and remains the canine space flight record. The human record did not surpass them until Skylab in June 1974!
Sources: enchantedlearning.com; nytimes.com; ham.spa.umn.edu; community-2.webtv.net; spacetoday.org and silverdalen.se/stamps/dogs/index.htm