Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics

Coordinates: 55°49′22″N 37°38′23″E / 55.822733°N 37.63971°E / 55.822733; 37.63971

Memorial Museum of cosmonautics

The entrance to the Museum (2011)
Agency overview
Formed 1981
Jurisdiction Government of Russia
Agency executive
  • Artyukhin, Natalia Vitalyevna, Director
Website

The Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics (also known as the Memorial Museum of Astronautics (in English) or Memorial Museum of Space Exploration) is a museum in Moscow, Russia, dedicated to space exploration. It is located within the base of the Monument to the Conquerors of Space in the north-east of the city.[1] The museum contains a wide variety of Soviet and Russian space-related exhibits and models which explore the history of flight; astronomy; space exploration; space technology; and space in the arts. According to the Russian tourist board, the museum's collection holds approximately 85,000 different items, primarily from the Soviet period, and receives approximately 300,000 visitors yearly.[2]

History

Though the space monument's tower was erected in 1964, the memorial museum did not exist for another seventeen years. Opening ceremonies took place on April 10, 1981, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the day Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the Earth in space.[2]

The museum primarily focuses on the Soviet space program with major themes like Gagarin, Sergey Korolev, Sputnik and Soyuz.

Renovation

On Cosmonautics Day, 2009, the museum was reopened after three years of reconstruction. It has virtually tripled its original size and has added new sections dedicated to space programs worldwide, including the USA, Europe, China and the ISS. The museum now features original interactive exhibits, as well as a refurbished promenade, the sculpture-lined Cosmonauts Alley which connects the museum to the Moscow metro. The museum is a favourite of students worldwide and a primary tourist attraction of the city.[3]

Exhibits

See also

References

  1. ↑ Moon Moscow and St. Petersburg; J. Chater and N. Toohey, ed.; Public Affairs, 2009; p.171.
  2. 1 2 "Russian Museums Guide".
  3. ↑ Moon, p.171.
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