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Laika's Window: The Legacy of a Soviet Space Dog
The unforgettable story of Laika the Soviet space dog, the Cold War, and the Space Race between the United States and the Soviet Union
Laika began her life as a stray dog on the streets of Moscow and died in 1957 aboard the Soviet satellite Sputnik II. Initially the USSR reported that Laika, the first animal to orbit the earth, had survived in space for seven days, providing valuable data that would make future manned space flight possible. People believed that Laika died a painless death as her oxygen ran out. Only in recent decades has the real story become public: Laika died after only a few hours in orbit when her capsule overheated. Laika’s Window positions Laika as a long overdue hero for leading the way to human space exploration.
Kurt Caswell examines Laika’s life and death and the speculation surrounding both. Profiling the scientists behind Sputnik II, he studies the political climate driven by the Cold War and the Space Race that expedited the satellite’s development. Through this intimate portrait of Laika, we begin to understand what the dog experienced in the days and hours before the launch, what she likely experienced during her last moments, and what her flight means to history and to humanity. While a few of the other space dog flights rival Laika’s in endurance and technological advancements, Caswell argues that Laika’s flight serves as a tipping point in space exploration “beyond which the dream of exploring nearby and distant planets opened into a kind of fever from which humanity has never recovered.”
Examining the depth of human empathy—what we are willing to risk and sacrifice in the name of scientific achievement and our exploration of the cosmos, and how politics and marketing can influence it—Laika’s Window is also about our search to overcome loneliness and the role animals play in our drive to look far beyond the earth for answers.
Laika began her life as a stray dog on the streets of Moscow and died in 1957 aboard the Soviet satellite Sputnik II. Initially the USSR reported that Laika, the first animal to orbit the earth, had survived in space for seven days, providing valuable data that would make future manned space flight possible. People believed that Laika died a painless death as her oxygen ran out. Only in recent decades has the real story become public: Laika died after only a few hours in orbit when her capsule overheated. Laika’s Window positions Laika as a long overdue hero for leading the way to human space exploration.
Kurt Caswell examines Laika’s life and death and the speculation surrounding both. Profiling the scientists behind Sputnik II, he studies the political climate driven by the Cold War and the Space Race that expedited the satellite’s development. Through this intimate portrait of Laika, we begin to understand what the dog experienced in the days and hours before the launch, what she likely experienced during her last moments, and what her flight means to history and to humanity. While a few of the other space dog flights rival Laika’s in endurance and technological advancements, Caswell argues that Laika’s flight serves as a tipping point in space exploration “beyond which the dream of exploring nearby and distant planets opened into a kind of fever from which humanity has never recovered.”
Examining the depth of human empathy—what we are willing to risk and sacrifice in the name of scientific achievement and our exploration of the cosmos, and how politics and marketing can influence it—Laika’s Window is also about our search to overcome loneliness and the role animals play in our drive to look far beyond the earth for answers.
248 pages, Hardcover
First published October 9, 2018
21 people are currently reading
361 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
March 21, 2024
boze......im so sad
January 7, 2019
Fascinating, well-written look at not just Laika's life and death, but the space race and its use of animal subjects. I found it a bit of a hard read overall because of the indelible image hanging over it all of poor, poor Laika being sent to die a painful death for no better reason than propaganda purposes. She was the goodest of girls and deserved better.
August 7, 2025
We can all learn so much from our sweet space explorer…the loneliness epidemic we humans have to face, and emotions shared between dog and man.
Lovely story very thoroughly researched.
We will never forget you, Laika, or your sacrifice.
Lovely story very thoroughly researched.
We will never forget you, Laika, or your sacrifice.
March 31, 2020
I really enjoyed this well researched book. Not just a story of the first dog to go into Earth's orbit, it’s a good read on the early space exploration efforts by Russia, the US and others. Photos would have been nice...you can find them by Google. Also an Index is called for. There is a fine bibliography of all the background and interesting facts. The epilogue is worthwhile in itself for the philosophical discussion on animal experimentation, the view of the imminent extinction of mankind, and current space efforts to reach Mars and that being possibly the only thing to bring the world together and teach us how to live better here on Earth.
January 24, 2020
Soviet.Space.Dogs. how can you not want to read about that! This book is one of my all time favorite books, not just because of the Soviet Space dogs but also because this book goes way in depth of the space race, the planning, All the animal testing and so much more. It especially goes into all the tests on animals (mostly dogs) the Soviet Union and the USA did so they know what's safe and what isn't safe for humans. It goes into so much detail of what struggles they faced, from the building and engineering of rockets, the Training and preparations for the dogs, to the Launch of the rockets and getting the dogs safely to the ground.
This book made me think a lot about how many tests, experiments and preparations it took to get a man or even anything in space. It is really hard to tell you what is really interesting without spoiling it. Over all 5 out of 5 Great, book.
Pg 69-71 trust me, its Hilarious.
This book made me think a lot about how many tests, experiments and preparations it took to get a man or even anything in space. It is really hard to tell you what is really interesting without spoiling it. Over all 5 out of 5 Great, book.
Pg 69-71 trust me, its Hilarious.
October 23, 2020
An interesting little book. You can tell it's been written from a position of love as the author has obviously heard about Laika's story and become obsessed with the little dog and what her short life might have been like. It's hard to argue with that and he makes a convincing stab at a portrayal whilst also drawing in a history of the space race, Russian social attitudes during the era, and as much detail as he can find and include about Laika and the stories of both her and her contemporaries. It's a short read that doesn't outstay its welcome and the science and history are both presented in accessible ways. I enjoyed it.
April 4, 2023
9/10
Caswell has a bit of a hip “cool” uni lecturer vibe throughout all this, which results in him both making an abrupt Chuck Norris joke, and indulging in what sounds like some pro-Musk longtermism in a rather unfortunate epilogue. Still, what he does absolutely get right is crafting a well-potted history of its titular subject (and animal-based space research as a whole) that really did make me weep at the purity of its empathy and love for her, and indeed the lengths of its author to try and imagine Sputnik 2’s launch from her perspective.
Caswell has a bit of a hip “cool” uni lecturer vibe throughout all this, which results in him both making an abrupt Chuck Norris joke, and indulging in what sounds like some pro-Musk longtermism in a rather unfortunate epilogue. Still, what he does absolutely get right is crafting a well-potted history of its titular subject (and animal-based space research as a whole) that really did make me weep at the purity of its empathy and love for her, and indeed the lengths of its author to try and imagine Sputnik 2’s launch from her perspective.
April 25, 2019
Interesting book concerning the ethics of using animals in science and the relationship of dogs and humans more generally. Instead of simply a bounded-victim, Caswell portrays Laika as a hero and Earth's first cosmonaut. The scientists that worked with her are portrayed as complex characters who both cared for Laika and knowingly sent her to her death.
October 17, 2019
Sorry this one did not hold my interest. The dog part, yes. The space part, not so much.
December 24, 2018
Laika’s Window, The legacy of a Soviet space dog.
In the very first chapter, Kurt Caswell discloses unknown information as he describes Laika, the first dog to orbit the earth.
After reading his description, I could visualize Laika leaving this world with a meteoric light show flying across the sky and into the history books. Little Laika’s story has faded over the years, so I am glad that Kurt has chosen to write her story, giving us unique insights into the history of space exploration and the distinctive and necessary relationship between man and our dogs along the way.
Caswell covers much of the history between the US and Russia in their attempt to one-up each other in space. Whether sharing tidbits about the space dogs or “Muttnicks” as the US called them, or a rather large menagerie of animals and creatures, he reveals colorful, poignant stories of animals involved in the space programs with often sad, sometimes humorous descriptions of their personalities and life. His writing also contains accounts of the not so heartless humans who trained and cared for these animals.
Kurt shares his glimpse of the future of space exploration and why it is a journey making our dreams into reality, a journey that we have always been on together.
What was it like to look out Laika’s window and see an earthrise? If you are a fan of history, and perhaps the future of space exploration, or just interested in dogs in space, read this book.
In the very first chapter, Kurt Caswell discloses unknown information as he describes Laika, the first dog to orbit the earth.
After reading his description, I could visualize Laika leaving this world with a meteoric light show flying across the sky and into the history books. Little Laika’s story has faded over the years, so I am glad that Kurt has chosen to write her story, giving us unique insights into the history of space exploration and the distinctive and necessary relationship between man and our dogs along the way.
Caswell covers much of the history between the US and Russia in their attempt to one-up each other in space. Whether sharing tidbits about the space dogs or “Muttnicks” as the US called them, or a rather large menagerie of animals and creatures, he reveals colorful, poignant stories of animals involved in the space programs with often sad, sometimes humorous descriptions of their personalities and life. His writing also contains accounts of the not so heartless humans who trained and cared for these animals.
Kurt shares his glimpse of the future of space exploration and why it is a journey making our dreams into reality, a journey that we have always been on together.
What was it like to look out Laika’s window and see an earthrise? If you are a fan of history, and perhaps the future of space exploration, or just interested in dogs in space, read this book.
September 17, 2021
This was a book I was extremely excited to read. Unfortunately, it was an utter disappointment. Within the first 40 pages, the author cites a source that’s not even in the bibliography. How? It seems he put the completely wrong name of the book. That sets the tone for the remainder of the novel.
Laika’s Window doesn’t know if it wants to be historical nonfiction, an author’s personal views on how he thinks Laika felt in space, or a high schoolers’ research essay where they are just adding words to meet a page minimum.
Not only does the author not know how to use a thesaurus apparently to find synonyms, but he also goes on an entire rant about monkey’s pleasuring themselves in space, he brings up a Chuck Norris joke, and just constantly interjects with his opinions causing for a clunky read. Another example is in the epilogue where the author talks about how he spoke with a vet about dehydration in dogs. The author makes a point to let the reader know that the vet allowed him to view a neuter and a spaying; two surgeries that don’t deal at all with anything other than trying to find more words to make the book longer.
The fact that this is written by a college professor is a worry.
Laika is an incredible dog with a story that must be shared, but from what I’ve learned here, a long form article would have sufficed.
Laika’s Window doesn’t know if it wants to be historical nonfiction, an author’s personal views on how he thinks Laika felt in space, or a high schoolers’ research essay where they are just adding words to meet a page minimum.
Not only does the author not know how to use a thesaurus apparently to find synonyms, but he also goes on an entire rant about monkey’s pleasuring themselves in space, he brings up a Chuck Norris joke, and just constantly interjects with his opinions causing for a clunky read. Another example is in the epilogue where the author talks about how he spoke with a vet about dehydration in dogs. The author makes a point to let the reader know that the vet allowed him to view a neuter and a spaying; two surgeries that don’t deal at all with anything other than trying to find more words to make the book longer.
The fact that this is written by a college professor is a worry.
Laika is an incredible dog with a story that must be shared, but from what I’ve learned here, a long form article would have sufficed.
January 8, 2021
I bought this book from the author during a session at the 2019 ASLE Conference in Davis, CA, and I started reading that very day. This book, however, has been a hard one to read. Let me be clear: the research is excellent; the writing is excellent, in fact, in large sections, poetic; the subject matter is the hard part. Like most humans on the planet, I love the other species of the world, and this book focuses on the human exploitation of our most favored species, dogs. What humans do to other species, particularly dogs, in the furthering of goals and dreams is agonizing for the other species and for humane readers. I was overcome a number of times with dismay and disgust, and I had to put the book down many times. Again, however, this book is an absolute must-read for those who discount the suffering of any other living beings than humans (or in certain narrow-minded cases, favored humans). I recommend this book wholeheartedly because the prose will tear your beating heart from your chest and show it to you in all your self-centered glory. The least we can do for the multiple wrongs humans do daily to living things is look unflinchingly, at least, at some of them. And don't just read this book; buy two copies, and send one to someone else who needs it.
September 20, 2019
Este libro relata la historia del programa espacial soviético canino con énfasis en la ética de la experimentación con animales. Si bien el contexto histórico está bien documentado y relatado, la parte sobre ética es más vaga y con menos documentación, además el autor hace demasiado esfuerzo en filling in the blanks sobre qué habrían sentido los animales, para terminar en una tangente innecesaria sobre los viajes a Marte. En definitiva, un libro con muchos detalles interesantes sobre el programa espacial soviético y su relación con los animales, pero irregular y poco enfocado cuando se separa de la historia misma.
Una falencia importante es que no incluye ningún tipo de material gráfico, aunque este ya ha sido ampliamente cubierto por Soviet Space Dogs. Aca va una foto de Van Cliburn junto a Belka y Strelka de todos modos :)
Una falencia importante es que no incluye ningún tipo de material gráfico, aunque este ya ha sido ampliamente cubierto por Soviet Space Dogs. Aca va una foto de Van Cliburn junto a Belka y Strelka de todos modos :)
January 21, 2021
This book was impeccably researched and written. There are points where it was a bit of a page-turner. It's a thorough, complex account of Laika's journey, situated in a rich portrait of the Soviet space program. I assumed it was written by an historian until I read the jacket. There is more detail on Laika's life in this book than I have been able to find scouring the internet for weeks. At a couple of points it veers deeply (maybe a little too much for me) into the detail on the other space dogs and animals. But full of tons of detailed information about the early space programs that lit up more than a few dinner conversations. While the thesis is that human ambivalence allowed those who worked with Laika to love her and send her to her death, I did not see much love evidenced, so I'm not sure I was convinced. But I love, love, love this book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in canine-human relationships, the ethics of those relationships, or the early space programs in the US or Soviet Union. Thank you Kurt!
March 26, 2019
Overall, this was a good book that told not only the story of Laika, the first Soviet space dog in space, but the story of all animals that were used for space exploration. Kurt Caswell did a good job of leaving his own biases of space exploration, using animals as testing for space exploration, and and the effect of the Cold War on the space fight. He leaves his own opinions for the epilogue where he still tells his opinion without condemning the opposing view. Overall, it was a quick read that gave the technical information in a way that was easy to follow. My only real complaint was that Laika's story really was only a chapter or so in length, which may have had more to do with the lack of information that is public with the program. I was really wanting to know more about the dog, the training, and leading up to the flight itself. I wish that their was more personal thoughts from those that knew her.
July 12, 2019
I really enjoyed this book - i think it asked some really intersted / hard/ complciated ethical questions about Laika but more importantly the author provided an exploration of what her life was actually like - from her life on the streets of Moscow to the life of a trained space dog. i appreciated greatly the conversation about what her training might have looked like - what the world would have looked like to Laika out her window. The book gave so many details to her story that I had never heard before about what her life was like on earth and in space though it started to fall apart at the end as he began to anthropomorphize her more and more talking about her last days/moments.
The only real critique I had was the final pages the author went off on what felt like an (unrelated ) tangent about the race to put humans on Mars which felt like a different project smashed together with this book
The only real critique I had was the final pages the author went off on what felt like an (unrelated ) tangent about the race to put humans on Mars which felt like a different project smashed together with this book
April 27, 2024
Would you like to be emotional about animals that have been dead for over 60 years? Would you like to contemplate our place in the universe? Would you like to meditate on the concept of loneliness and how animals fit into our lives to alleviate that loneliness? Would you also like to think too hard about space and what the exploration of it really means? Would you like to ponder the ethics of animals as test subjects for scientific advancement while you're thinking about all these things as well? Then have I got the book for you!
Really interesting read that did have me thinking deeply about a lot of things and crying about the relationships between man and animals (dogs in particular, despite being a cat person even). If you have any interest in Laika's story or the space race from a humanities point of view, definitely check this out. But I'm serious about preparing to be sad about animals who would have died of natural causes over 50 years ago anyway.
Really interesting read that did have me thinking deeply about a lot of things and crying about the relationships between man and animals (dogs in particular, despite being a cat person even). If you have any interest in Laika's story or the space race from a humanities point of view, definitely check this out. But I'm serious about preparing to be sad about animals who would have died of natural causes over 50 years ago anyway.
May 13, 2025
I really liked the in depth conversation on the Soviet dogs, however I dislike the mention of some missions, such as Damka's mission. It is still mentioned but as an offhand, not getting it's own section like Tsygan and Dezik's. The section on Chajka and Lisichika annoys me for centering on Lisichika and not put Chajka in the spotlight. I personally dislike the sentiment of agreement with Elon Musk, but this was written before he really came out as a garbage bag of a human being, so I digress. I agree with the philosophical comments of the book in general, besides the Mars sentiment. I also find humor in how much better the Soviets did than the Americans. Also reading about masturbating monkey is quite hilarious in hindsight. I'd recommend this to people interested in philosophy and the space race.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 9, 2019
This was a fascinating book that was extremely well-researched and delightfully well-written. The author aptly captures the secrecy and drive of the Soviet space program and their desire to be the first in space. And yet, the compassion these engineers had for their canine subjects was apparent, and the author clearly acknowledges and reflects that compassion. Ultimately, I was left with a feeling of deep sadness for Laika and all of the other animals who gave their lives in the space program. She was a hero.
May 19, 2019
A fitting tribute to the little pup who opened the door to the stars for all of humankind. Caswell clearly did his research here, and he does an excellent job of weaving together a vibrant, colorful chronicle of the roles animals (especially Laika) have filled in advancing our understanding of the cosmos. Beautifully written and highly informative, this book is an all-around stellar read and a wonderful meditation on loneliness, humanity, and the past, present, and future of our relationship with space.
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May 21, 2024The author did a good research about orbiting first dog. I presume most research was done using a number of russian sources and there are a lot of mistakes. Page 18- correct Kyiv, not Kiev, derived from the russian-language 'Киев' as they name the Ukrainian capital. it seems to me Curt is fascinated with everything great russian science, culture and etc. He doesn’t know the true color of Soviets. People lived in the police state, did their work under pressure and in fear that their relatives would be killed or sent to Gulag.
April 4, 2019
I think Laika's story is fascinating, and I was surprised to find that this was the only book in the library system devoted solely to her. I will say that the graphic novel, which this author mentions several times, was phenomenal.
This was an interesting read, but it did feel a bit derivative; the only piece of information that seemed new was the realization that Laika likely could see out her window. Overall, I would recommend this to someone who didn't know much about the story.
This was an interesting read, but it did feel a bit derivative; the only piece of information that seemed new was the realization that Laika likely could see out her window. Overall, I would recommend this to someone who didn't know much about the story.
May 19, 2019
Pretty good book about the early days of space exploration and how dogs helped prepare the way for humans in space. However, much of it is the author wondering how the dogs, especially Laika, the first dog to orbit the earth, felt. Then there are the treatises regarding loneliness and how dogs and other animals fill that void and whether it is ethical to send a dog into space knowing that it is not coming back. Overall, too mushy for me.
January 15, 2024
It took me quite some time to finish this book. It has a very slow start and the timeline is all over the place. There were definitely parts of the book that were super interesting and I even cried once or twice, however the majority of the book felt a bit disorganized and irrelevant. It almost felt like it was trying to hard to be philosophical and now allowing the actual philosophy show through.
tbr-not-at-library
August 30, 2021Twenty-ish years ago I read a book about Laika, from her point of view. Obviously it was fiction and she had some very philosophical musings for a dog. I wanted to find the book, but I came upon this factual story of Laika and her contemporaries, used by the USSR & USA to further human ends. My library doesn't have it, so I'll have to search her window out.
February 5, 2023
I liked this book in the beginning, but it went off the rails and lost focus in the last few chapters. It became less about space history and more about exploring philosophical ideas and asking strings of questions with no answers. The good thing about this book is it had a pretty good bibliography, so I can look for more scholarly, focused books on the Soviet space dogs.
November 15, 2018
This book is amazing...gorgeous prose, fascinating topic. Dog and space lovers will instantly connect to it as well as any reader interesting in probing the topic of loneliness and connection...highly recommend.
June 7, 2022
Nice overview of Soviet animal space program and context surrounding Laika's flight. Pretty boring otherwise and didn't really make any interesting points. Probably could have worked better as a collection of essays.
January 12, 2019
It was a very moving and touching story. Laika was a very good girl and as an animal lover it really hit home how much dogs trust us as humans.
March 2, 2019
Brilliant. Favourite book this year.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews