Soviet Space Suit Worn by First Dog in Space for Sale

(Photo : Auctionata) This Soviet dog space suit is for sale during a Berlin auction starting at US$10,500

A genuine Soviet era space suit for a dog is going up for auction along with other space memorabilia in Berlin.

The owner of the canine space suit is German pop artist Andreas Hoge, better known by his pseudonym, Andora, who once painted the side of a Russian rocket.

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He's placing at auction more than 100 pieces of his Russian space program memorabilia. The Berlin-based auction house, Auctionata, will conduct the online auction on September 13.

But the highlight of the auction is a relic from the Soviet Union's canine space program. This space suit was worn by Laika, the first dog and also the first living creature from Earth to be sent into space.

She was the lone passenger aboard Sputnik 2 launched into orbit on Nov. 3, 1957. Laika died during the space flight.

Laika's space suit comes with breathing tubes and was used to test the effects of low gravity conditions and high speed launches on living organisms.

The suit is described as a brown lace-up body suit with a breathing apparatus that can be adjusted according to the dog's body size and legs with the use of strings. There is also a tube on the lower side of the body for oxygen.

The canine space suit was made by Russian manufacturer, RSC Energia, which is renowned for making spacecraft and space station components.

Apart from Laika, the space suit was also used by Belka and Strelka during the Sputnik 5 mission in 1960.

Russians used dogs as test subjects for space launches. The Americans, on the other hand, used chimpanzees.

These Soviet space dogs paved the way for the flight of the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin.

Andora's collection also includes several artifacts from Gagarin's historic mission.

This space auction will be curated by Tasillo Romisch, an expert in space memorabilia at the Auctionata.

Only a small number of dog space suits survive.

Laika's space suit is up for auction starting at US $10,000.

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