Russian Animals in Space

A documentary celebrates the famous and not-so-famous pioneers of spaceflight.

Even if you don't understand Russian (and I don't) this TV Roskosmos mini-documentary on animals in space is worth watching. You'll see footage of the usual celebrities, including astro dogs Laika and Belka and Strelka. Laika's trainer Oleg Gazenko, a key figure in early space animal experiments who died in 2007, appears early in the film, as do father-son astronauts Alexander and Sergei Volkov.

We also see (at about the 8:00 mark) a hatchling trying to flap its wings in zero-g, and various other creatures, including monkeys, being prepared for spaceflight.

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