The British photographer fell in love with Squirrel and Arrow without a memory and put together a collection of figures
Long before a man flew into space, dogs were sent there. In the Soviet Union, such experiments were very popular. Dogs were ideally suited for testing space rockets: scientists watched how animals behave in flight conditions, and with the help of them they could study various phenomena in near-Earth space. We all know about Squirrel and Strelka, however, more than thirty such flights were carried out in the USSR, and almost always different animals were sent to space. Cosmonaut dogs were more than an experiment, they all became colleagues and friends for scientists.
It was Belka and Strelka who became the most legendary dogs of the Soviet Union and real heroes. These four-legged ones flaunted absolutely everything: cigarette cases, nesting dolls, watches and other things of the Soviet citizen. Squirrel and Arrow have become a real cult, like the Beatles in the UK or Mickey Mouse in the US. Photographer Martin Parr has been collecting things depicting astronaut dogs for over twenty years. Parr buys his exhibits via the Internet and on flea markets in Moscow.
Matryoshka with Squirrel and Arrow
A carafe in the form of a rocket, from the window of which legendary astronauts peep
Jar for cookies with an Asterisk, which went into space just a few weeks before the flight of Yuri Gagarin
Gzhel Porcelain Figurines
Clock with a barometer depicting Squirrel and Arrow
Legendary Dog Night
Children's book of 1961, which tells about the adventures of two dogs in space
Cigarette case with Laika, which became the first living creature in Earth orbit
Collection plate with four-legged astronauts
Postcard with Laika and the first three satellites put into orbit.
