"Spootnik!"

Not all heroes wear capes...or even walk on two legs. This week Scotty tells Amelia and the listeners about the early days of the Space Race, and some of its non-human pioneers (and sacrifices) in the name of "progress." There was Albert II, a rhesus macaque monkey who became the first mammal to travel into space. There was Ham, a chimpanzee who flew aboard the Mercury-Redstone 2 rocket. And, of course, there was little Laika, a stray dog from the streets of Moscow who entered into orbit and the history books.

Not all of these furry astronauts survived their flights into the Great Unknown. But they live on forever in our hearts.

CONTENT WARNING: This episode talks about animal death.