Richard Hollingham is a multi-award-winning science and space journalist, BBC radio presenter and producer. Space correspondent for BBC future and presenter of the Space Boffins Podcast, Richard is also a producer and launch commentator for the European Space Agency. He is a regular visitor to Russia, and has reported from space centres around the world, including the Baikonur cosmodrome and mission control Moscow.

Talk: Space Dogs

Before cosmonauts and astronauts, a team of Soviet space dogs pioneered the road to the stars. The dogs were strays, recruited from the streets of Moscow, and were fed, nurtured and trained to feel comfortable in the confines of space rockets. Then they were blasted into the unknown. Many returned to Earth but others – such as the first dog in orbit, Laika – never made it back. Her successors were Belka and Strelka, the first dogs to successfully orbit and return safely to Earth. The dogs became cult heroes, appearing on stamps, postcards and all manner of strange souvenirs.

In his new book Space Dogs, with Martin Parr, multi-award-winning science and space journalist Richard Hollingham tells the story of these canine cosmonauts. Join Richard as he explores the circumstances that lead to dogs becoming space pioneers, the cult of celebrity that followed Belka and Strelka’s return to earth, and the importance of the Space Dog’s legacy.