A 1961 Woviet space capsule is being auctioned in New York City. The capsule was used on a test run for the spacecraft that carried the first man into outer space. Its pre-sale estimate is $2 million to $10 million. Sotheby's is offering it Tuesday on the 50th anniversary of the manned mission.
The capsule being sold is the Vostok 3KA-2. It carried a cosmonaut mannequin and a live dog into space weeks before the manned flight of Vostok 3KA-3, a duplicate capsule. Sotheby's said the anonymous owner bought it privately from the Russians years ago. The capsule is made of aluminium alloy and measures just over 7 feet in diameter. It was classified as a ``secret' until 1986. Its interior has been stripped for security reasons.