Antique dog space suit to be auctioned in Berlin

A dog space suit has come up for auction in Berlin.

Not just any canine space suit however, this is one of the first that dates from the 1950s when Soviet scientists wanted to test the effects of space travel on animals.

The tests that the suit helped with, learning about the effects of zero gravity and high speed acceleration, as the catalogue says, “seem rather rough today”. However, the suit is an antique highlighting how important dogs are to us and the developments we have made in science because of them.

Dogs were used by the Russians in space experiments because of their obedience and ability to sit still for a long time, and one dog, Laika, went down in history as being the first animal to orbit the earth.

Unfortunately, the experiments were usually detrimental for the animals’ health, often resulting in death, but since they were carried out, monuments have been risen in their memory. In particular, a statue of Laika was put up outside the military base in Russia where the experiments were launched from.

The dog suit is one of a few surviving today, and has been marked with inventory numbers, indicating that it was actually used.

The bids are set to start at just over 4,000 Euros, but this rare antique is expected to be sold for more than double that.

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