Laika wasn't the only dog involved in the Soviet space program. Almost three years later, Belka and Strelka, along with other animals, became the first two dogs to safely return from Earth's orbit. Both cosmonauts have been "preserved" at the Cosmonautics Museum in Moscow, but other artifacts from their historic mission remain, including some of the spacesuits they used.
Laika's Tragic Story
The story of Laika is not a happy one. Presented at the time as a heroine, the dog died from stress and heat six hours after her launch on November 3, 1957, a detail Soviet authorities hid for 45 years. Three years later, the mission of the Soviet cosmonaut dogs (yes, in orbital missions they were all female) continued with Korabl-Sputnik 2, and again, two animals lost their lives.
Korabl-Sputnik 2 and the Failed Launch
In the first launch, Bars and Lisichka died when they hit the ground after the rocket exploded and their capsule's parachutes opened only partially. This directly affected all plans to send a human into space. If a dog couldn't go and return safely, the chances for a trained cosmonaut were rather poor.
However, the situation changed with Belka and Strelka:
Belka and Strelka successfully lifted off on August 19, 1960, but they weren't alone in the capsule. According to available information, a rabbit, 40 mice, two rats, several plants, and a group of fungi were secondary passengers on the mission.
They all returned home after spending nearly 24 hours in space, a first step on the path to Vostok 1 and Yuri Gagarin. Images of Belka and Strelka went around the world, and those who have the chance to travel to Moscow can meet them... as long as they accept the preservation of animals via taxidermy.
The Spacesuits
As an alternative, they can try to obtain one of the spacesuits the cosmonaut dogs used in their tests:
The suit you see in the images was auctioned in September 2014 for 17,332 euros, well above the 8,000 euros estimated. Unfortunately, there is no detail indicating its use by Belka or Strelka, but we can say with some certainty that both dogs received similar suits.
They were made with a combination of cotton, rubber, aluminum, and nylon, and included their corresponding transparent helmet with an oxygen hose attached. They weren't particularly comfortable, but they worked.
