Sent to spy on a Cuban talent show

First stop Havana go-go

I used to make a living, man, pickin’ the banana

Hooray! for Havana

— Ramones (1976)

Bonny was healthy… until he died.

The Russians had started it after they’d sent two canine cosmonauts up into orbit. The Soviet pups had endured an astonishing three weeks circling the Earth, and the United States would be damned if they were going to let this record stand.

With the launch date for Apollo 11 inching closer, the Americans were well on their way to planting Old Glory on lunar soil. Still, they had bigger plans on the horizon, a new mutation of Manifest Destiny brewing with its sights set on the cosmos. Billions of dollars were being pledged to futuristic visions of space stations and off-planet exploration over the next two decades.