在20世纪50年代，美国和苏联之间的太空竞赛非常激烈，同是为了民族自豪，也是为了宣传。但在人类冒险进入宇宙之前，人类四条腿的朋友将为太空探索踏出重要的一步。

**个狗宇航员是莱卡。这只小流浪狗从来没有想过，有一天它会漂浮在莫斯科街头200英里的高空。她出现在邮票、明信片和纪念品上。她的继任者是贝尔卡(Belka)和斯特雷卡(Strelka)，他们是**批成功安全返回地球的狗，与他们一起，太空狗诞生了。

本书讲述了太空狗的故事，配有传奇摄影师马丁·帕尔的经典太空狗摄影作品。

In the 1950s the space race between the USA and the USSR was well and truly on, and was for both a matter of pride and propaganda. But before man ventured into the cosmos, his four-legged friends would pave the way for space exploration.

The first canine cosmonaut was Laika, meaning barker. The little stray could never have anticipated that she would one day float 200 miles above the Moscow streets. She would be canonized as a proletarian hero, appearing on stamps, postcards and souvenirs. Her successors were Belka and Strelka, the first dogs to successfully return safely to Earth, and with them, the cult of the space dog was born.

This fascinating book tells the story of the space dogs, illustrated with legendary photographer Martin Parr s vintage space dog memorabilia. In a regime that eschewed celebrating individual achievement, these dogs became Soviet superstars, with a vast array of merchandise, books and films in their honour.