First animal to orbit Earth

As well as being the first dog in space on 3 November 1957, Laika was the first animal to orbit the Earth. A street dog from Moscow, Laika is honoured there with a rocket-shaped monument in her home city.

Stray mongrels such as Laika were selected for space programmes because they were considered to be hardy from having survived freezing Russian temperatures. Laika was also picked for her appealing looks, which brought her a following worldwide. It’s now well-known – although it wasn't at the time – that the poor canine only survived a few hours into the flight, but her feat brought her immortal fame.