Russian officials have unveiled a monument to Laika, the first dog to visit outer space, to mark the 50th anniversary of the space canine's flight.
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The Russian Defense Ministry's State Military Medicine Scientific Research Institute unveiled the monument near its Moscow headquarters at the Petrovsko-Razumovskaya tree-lined walk, Itar-Tass reported Friday.
The monument's opening was timed to coincide with the eve of Cosmonautics Day, a Russian holiday celebrating space travel. The April 12 holiday coincides with the anniversary of the first manned space flight in 1961.
Laika, the first living being to orbit the planet, was launched into orbit aboard Sputnik 2 in the fall of 1957. He died of overheating and panic during the first few hours of the flight. The satellite burned up upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere five months after the launch.
