Laika the dog gets all the credit for paving humanity's path to the stars. But the harsh reality is that she didn't survive before returning to Earth in 1957.
The distinction of "first dogs to orbit the Earth and survive" belongs to Belka and Strelka.
Although Belka and Strelka made history 55 years ago, you can still meet these Russian heroes. Or, rather, the taxidermied effigies of the pups that once were.
I recently traveled to Russia and made it my personal mission to visit Moscow's Cosmonautics Memorial Museum. I wasn't disappointed.
Scroll down to see the Soviet space race's furry heroes, who are still on display in a place most Americans don't even know exists.
The Cosmonautics Memorial Museum is located in northern Moscow.
Most Americans don't know it exists, but in Moscow you can see its rocket-like monument rising up miles away.
A ticket costs 200 rubles, plus 200 rubles if you want to take photos — about $7 total when I visited.
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