On 19 August 1960, Корабль-Спутник—known in the west as Sputnik 5—launched. It’s “crew” included dogs Belka (Белка) and Strelka (Стрелка), forty mice, two rats, a rabbit, flies, plants, and fungi. Sputnik 5 returned safely to earth the following day. It was the first mission to take animals into space and then return then safely to […]