In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the spacecraft Sputnik 2, carrying the first animal into orbit, a dog named Laika

Horrors on Instagram: "Belka was one of two Soviet space dogs launched aboard Sputnik-5 on August 19, 1960, becoming one of the first living beings to orbit Earth and return alive. Alongside her partner Strelka, Belka completed 17 orbits in just over 24 hours, proving that sustained spaceflight was survivable for complex organisms. During the mission, onboard cameras captured Belka becoming visibly distressed and vomiting in microgravity — footage that later helped scientists understand how the

60 years ago today, a Soviet street dog became the first animal to orbit Earth