Laika's Window

Laika began her life as a stray dog on the streets of Moscow and died in 1957 aboard the Soviet satellite Sputnik II as the first animal to orbit Earth. It was initially reported that she survived in outer space for seven days, but did she? Kurt Caswell profiles Laika's life and death alongside the scientists behind Sputnik II and a Cold War political climate. Questioning the depths of human empathy, Laika's Window examines what we are willing to sacrifice in the name of scientific achievement and how politics and marketing have influenced our exploration of the cosmos. In this intimate portrait, we begin to understand what Laika experienced in the days and hours before the launch, during her last moments, and what her flight means to history and to humanity.

Kurt Caswell teaches at Texas Tech University and the Vermont College of Fine Arts. He is the author or editor of three books and lives in Lubbock, Texas.