Laika Moscow Monument (Full)

thingiverse

This print was made possible by crowdsourcing Photogrammetry. Credits go to Alexei17, Grindcore_Joe & ivann_vanovv for capturing photos of the monument that helped create this model.\r\n\r\nI have taken this model as far as I can with free software and minimal skills. I encourage anyone who can clean up or enhance it to do so!\r\n\r\nLaika became the first animal in space history. Laika was chosen more for her puppy dog eyes than for her intelligence, which scientists knew would make her an international sensation. They were correct, and Laika quickly gained worldwide attention.\r\n\r\nThe adorable little dog was trained and fitted with a space suit before being launched into space on November 3, 1957. The craft carrying Laika, Sputnik 2, made over 2,000 orbits of the Earth before disintegrating upon reentry. According to official reports, Laika perished in space due to oxygen deprivation or planned euthanasia. It wasn't until 2002 that they revealed Laika had actually died within hours of launch from overheating. Nonetheless, she became a hero.\r\n\r\nStrangely, the famous dog did not receive her own monument in Moscow until 2008. The small monument near a military research station is shaped like an abstract rocket that morphs into a hand cradling Laika towards the stars. If only her actual fate had been as peaceful.