1963 : The Space Race ( audio story ) 1963 : The Space Race was the one hundred and seventy - ninth story in Big Finish ' s monthly range . This was the second story in the 1963 audio trilogy celebrating the 50th anniversary of " Doctor Who " . Publisher ' s summary . November 1963 , and the Soviet space programme reigns supreme . Having sent the first animals , then the first men beyond Earth ' s atmosphere , now they ' re sending a manned capsule into orbit around the Moon . Just as " Vostok Seven " passes over into the dark side , however , its life support system fails . Only the intervention of the Sixth Doctor and Peri , adopting the identities of scientists from Moscow University , means that contact with the capsule is regained . But something has happened to the cosmonaut on board . She appears to have lost her memory , and developed extreme claustrophobia . Maybe she ' s not quite as human as she used to be . . . Plot . Part one . " This is Baikonur Control calling " Vostok 7 " . Do you read me ? " 10 November 1963 . Cosmonaut Marinka Talanov is just about to enter the Moon ' s orbit , and will become the first human to gaze upon its " dark side " in twenty minutes . As she approaches , though , something goes wrong , and total system shutdown ensues . Baikonur Control loses contact with the ship as the Moon ' s blocking it . TARDIS lands elsewhere , and Peri Brown remarks that it ' s even colder " outside " . The Sixth Doctor explains that the circuit that controls his ship ' s heating is not working , a problem he ' s seen only once before . The TARDIS also can ' t move without this circuit . They deduce that they ' re in some sort of desert , and see an overturned jeep in the distance . As they approach it , they find three people who have been shot . Sitting in the front are — as the Doctor gathers from their IDs — Doctors Christina Bushkin and Grigori Kalashnikov , from Moscow University . The third individual , a woman , has no identification on her . The Doctor takes their coats to fend off the cold . Before Peri can argue , though , she notices a time bomb beneath one of the seat , with 20 seconds left before detonation . . . With no time to diffuse it , they ran as far as they can and manage to escape just in time . The Doctor explains that whoever set the bomb did so to remove any evidence of foul play — no one will ever know that these people were shot . They ' re interrupted by the arrival of another vehicle , looking for Bushkin and Kalashnikov . They take the Doctor and Peri for them , and the two just happen to have their IDs in their new jackets . The TARDIS team is taken to the Baikonur Cosmodrome , which the Doctor knows is a secret Soviet base in Kazakhstan . Meanwhile , back at Baikonur , they still can ' t make contact with Marinka in " Vostok 7 " . They " do " have transceiver feedback , but they ' re not getting any replies . The Doctor , just arriving with Peri , recommends that they send loud , high - pitched feedback to the capsule to wake her up from whatever shock she ' s endured . It works , and Marinka regains consciousness — but she ' s lost large portions of her memories . She can ' t remember who she is , " where " she is , or who she ' s talking to . She ' s not even aware that she ' s floating in space . The Doctor tries to calm her down , and requests that she get returned to Earth . Three days later , Leonid Kurakin is doing what Peri calls fishing . He ' s relieved to find out she and the Doctor are not a couple — " he ' s not my type " — and lets her know he ' s single too . Leonid remarks on her accent , which sounds more " western " , and lists some countries she might have come from . Peri goes with Latvia , and they ' re interrupted by a bell ; it ' s his shift for guard duty . He leaves behind a paper , though , which piques Peri ' s interest . Back at the research station , Lerisa Petrov tries to explain to Marinka to use the red button to replenish her oxygen supply — she can ' t even remember colour s . They activate remote guidance system , but it won ' t respond . The Doctor fixes their system , which he says was sabotaged , and it finally starts responding . The capsule is due to come down in just under an hour ' s time . Peri , following what she read on the paper , goes to Research Area 4 , authorised personnel only . There , she finds empty space suit s . They ' ve also secretly built a lunar landing module . A man reveals that he knows they ' re imposters , and that he sent for her and " Kalashnikov " to find a rat . This traitor , Valentina , with whom he was in love , disappeared just before they arrived — and fits the description that Peri gave of the woman in the back of the jeep . Finally , " Vostok 7 " is coming down to Earth . They get there , and open the capsule . . . . But they don ' t find Marinka in there . Instead , there ' s a dog inside her spacesuit . The Doctor notes that it ' s not just any dog , either — it ' s Laika ! Part two . " to be added " Part three . " to be added " Part four . " to be added "