NEW YORK: For sale: vehicle with extremely high mileage, serious damage, and a price tag in the millions. Sotheby's in New York will auction the spherical Vostok 3KA-2 Space Capsule on April 12, the 50th anniversary of the first manned space flight by Soviet pilot Yury Gagarin. The battered craft has serious historical credentials as the model used for the final dummy run before Gagarin left on his mission. Surprisingly small, considering its epic journey, the capsule resembles a very large boulder. It was sent into space on March 25, 1961, carrying a life-sized human mannequin and a small dog named Zvezdochka, meaning “Little Star.” The capsule completed one orbit, then reentered the atmosphere and landed safely under parachute. – Agence France
