NextPrevious

Space Programs

The Sputnik Era

What were the names of the first dogs in space?

Sputnik 2 carried a dog named Laika, which sadly died in space because the Russian space program did not provide for the safe return of the spacecraft or its passenger. Sputnik 5 carried two other dogs (Belka and Strelka) and a number of mice, rats, and plants; all the animals were safely recovered the next day when the spacecraft returned to Earth.