A new exhibition is being organised to celebrate the mission that sent dogs to space to pave the way for the human space missions. “Russian scientists believed they could build stronger bonds with dogs than with other animals, ensuring their obedience, and that the mongrels from Moscow’s streets would possess the right survivalist temperament”.

All of the creatures boarded the spacecraft made by the Soviet Union, called the Korable-Sputnik 2, or Sputnik 5 on August 19 in 1960.

The dog Laika became the first living Earth-born creature in orbit in November 1957. However, the dog died after a few hours of being in the space because of stress and overheating.

Strelka and Belka were joined by 42 mice, two rats, a grey rabbit, some flies and several species of plants and fungi on their space mission.

Strelka and Belka, along with their companions, were able to orbit the Earth 18 times, with each one surviving the journey. During this mission, the Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin also made history by becoming the first man to safely complete a trip to the space.

In the face of many dangers, the spacecraft of the dogs landed successfully. In addition, the exhibition also “features an ejection seat and spacesuit specifically designed for canine cosmonauts”.

Curator of the exhibition Doug Millard said, “Belka and Strelka’s mission was crucial to the success of the Soviet human spaceflight programme”. These two canine heroes were greeted by an worldwide press conference on their return to earth and the achievement heralded around the world.

The Cosmonauts: Birth of the Space Age exhibit is made possible through collaboration between London’s Science Museum, the Russian Federal Space Agency and the ROSIZO State Museum Exhibition Center.