#Laika the space dog

[srebrnastal]

You really woke up one day and decided to create a drawing that fucking smite me in the heart ;-;

This is so wonderful and deeply moving, how could you

Fun(?)fact: Kudryavka means “curly” in Russian. I have no idea if the creators did this on purpose or if it is a total coincidence, but I like to think that actually his name is a small reference to Laika ;-;

The Patron Saint of One Way Journeys.

[himbosimpraccoon]

Something about how Curly is trusting to his own detriment... caged by his trust towards Jimmy (even as that eventually dies it still cages him by his past actions)... doglike*, loyal. Something about how he is the only one who goes by his last name, completely defined by his title, to the very last moment. Something about how Moscow mutt Laika was called Кудрявка as a pet name, Kudryavka, little curly.

*(Edit! My use of the word "doglike" was unnecessary, didn't help show my point, was honestly easy to misinterpret, and was kinda thoughtless. All the stuff above is my original wording, since I didn't wanna erase it- mistakes happen, people. My intension wasn't to compare a disabled character to a dog, it was simply to say the name might've been intentional since Laika is frankly iconic and heavily associated with spacefarers. That's all. I know infantilization personally, and am not trying to minimize the issue it is. This has nothing to do with Curly being disabled! Thanks)

[swagvo1d]

if earth was a big blue ball, i’d toss it for you to chase it

[ink-the-artist]

Bon Voyage

[rainbow-gend3r]

Sputnik 2, launched on November 3, 1957, carried the dog Laika, the first living creature to be shot into space and orbit Earth. Laika was a stray dog found on the streets of Moscow. There were no plans to return her to Earth, and she lived only a few hours in orbit. …

taken from @gallivantsofgillis on tiktok

[toavoidtherush]

patron saint of one way trips

@lakefucine | patti white | the reverent marigold | eleanor hsieh | gus greshem | oleg gazenko | alan shapiro | boston manor | @caputvulpinum | pigeon watch | brennig davies | sleeping at last | @fateology | sarah doyle.

[mydearbasil]

Merry XMAS to all who celebrate! Unfortunately I've been thinking about Laika the space dog the past 3 days!

[sageandscorpiongrass]

Goodnight, Laika.

Space Dog, Alan Shapiro | From Wikipedia | Laika, Sarah Doyle | Space Patterns Painting, Katya Garipova | Laika, Ben Florin | Constellations, The Oh Hellos | First Dog in Space, Brennig Davies | Are You Scared Yet, Laika?, Gus Gresham | Pillars of Creation, James Webb Telescope | space dog., Basil Sai | Icarus, The Crane Wives | Quote via. Oleg Gazenko

[chaoscohort]

Still needs to be ironed and the edges finished but here's my laika patch inspired by this post by @manywinged !

[corrakii]

Laika and Vash. One day I'll finish this

I've made multiple people want to murder me for this⁽⁠⁽⁠ଘ⁠(⁠ ⁠ˊ⁠ᵕ⁠ˋ⁠ ⁠)⁠ଓ⁠⁾⁠⁾

I love Laika so much i started info dumping in the trigun gc about her and made them cry. Don't let me yap about my interests ever

[spacejunksally]

Laika cigarettes, USSR, 1958. // Olesya Turkina, Soviet Space Dogs. // Postage stamp, Socialist Republic of Romania, 1969 // Alex Wellerstein, Remembering Laika. // Postcard, USSR, 1957 // Postage stamp, Polish People's Republic, 1957. // Patti White, Laika. // Matchbox, USSR, 1966.

[keroppidraws]

the cold wet of your nose

[kadiumz]

laika the space dog for a friend

[sorenphelps]

stardogs

i wanted to draw Sirius with Laika, because he was born on the same day when she was sent to space, and they both deserved so much better

[yamisnuffles]

A commission of Aziraphale with a rescued Laika.

[deep-space-lines]

Full-Size / True Color Version

Sometimes I think about the fact that first living being to orbit the Earth couldn't understand what was happening to her, couldn't understand the history she was making. Laika wasn't a volunteer. The technology to bring her back alive didn't exist. They sent her up anyway. She died, scared and alone, in a malfunctioning spacecraft hastily built to meet a political deadline.

When her heart rate tripled from the stress of acceleration, did she understand the magnitude of what she was experiencing? When she saw the stars outside her little window, did she believe the world had gone dark? In her final hours, did she feel wonder, or just fear?

"The more time passes, the more I’m sorry about it. We shouldn’t have done it. We did not learn enough from this mission to justify the death of the dog. When you understand that you can’t bring back Laika, that she perishes out there, and that no one can bring her back…that is a very heavy feeling." Oleg G. Gazenko

For me, there's some small consolation, at least, in knowing that although her death was unnecessary and cruel, Laika will never be forgotten. I love you, Laika. May you find peace among the stars.

Prints are available here.