Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. On November 3, 1957, a Soviet space dog named Laika became the first animal to orbit Earth. Laika was a 3-year-old stray ...

Black-and-white photographs shared by some social media users are said to show Laika, a 13-pound stray from Moscow who became the first dog in space after being launched into low orbit aboard Sputnik ...

Sputnik 2 was launched by the Soviets shortly after Sputnik 1, with its rapid preparation intended to sustain propaganda momentum and align with the 40th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution. This ...

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 ...

Kai Cheng Thom, illus. by Kai Yun Ching. Arsenal Pulp, $18.95 (40p) ISBN 978-1-55152-862-5 Based on Russian space explorations during the 1950s that used dogs as experimental passengers, Thom’s story ...

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 ...