posted 06-18-2015 09:09 AM               

Soviet space program highly relayed on dogs. Many collectors are used to covers of 50s and 60s commemorating dog flights. Laika was the first one on Sputnik 2, then came another six launches before Gagarin. But the most notable are the Sputnik 9 (Chernushka – Blacky) and Sputnik 10 (Zvezhdochka – Tiny Star) – these were the control flights on the full-scale Vostok spaceship that had to bring the first man in space.

The demand was – to have two fully successful consequent flights of one revolution each. Zvezdochka was originally Udacha (Fortune), but Yuri Gagarin changed her name just before the start on March 25, 1961 (at least this is the story). She landed successfully near Izhevsk (Perm district, western side of the Ural mountains) and then was the April 12, 1961.

In USSR almost all space dogs got commemorated by monuments – Laika in Moscow, Cheznushka, Zvezdochka, etc. Zvezdochka become the most famous as she gave a green light to Gagarin. There are several monuments and one of them was opened in the central Izhevsk street on March 25, 2006 – 45th anniversary of Tiny Star flight.

To commemorate this event, a cover was issued in Izhevsk (200 pieces) with vignette, cancelled with special rubber stamp and Izhevsk 72 cancellation (post office near the monument).