The Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics (Russian ''Музей космонавтики'', also known as the Memorial Museum of Astronautics (in English) or Memorial Museum of Space Exploration) is a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

in Moscow, Russia, dedicated to space exploration. It is located within the base of the

Monument to the Conquerors of Space The ''Monument to the Conquerors of Space'' ( rus, Монуме́нт «Покори́телям ко́смоса», r=Monumént "Pokorítelyam kósmosa", p=mənʊˈmʲent pəkɐrʲˈitʲɪlʲɪm ˈkosməsə) is a giant obelisk erected in Mosc ...

in the north-east of the city. The museum contains a wide variety of Soviet and Russian space-related exhibits and models which explore the history of flight;

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

; space exploration;

space technology Space technology is technology for use in outer space, in travel (''astronautics'') or other activities beyond Earth's atmosphere, for purposes such as spaceflight, space exploration, and Earth observation. Space technology includes space vehicles ...

; and space in the arts. According to the Russian tourist board, the museum's collection holds approximately 85,000 different items and receives approximately 300,000 visitors yearly.

History

The museum primarily focuses on the

Soviet space program The Soviet space program (russian: Космическая программа СССР, Kosmicheskaya programma SSSR) was the national space program of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), active from 1955 until the dissoluti ...

with major themes like the first person in space

Yuri Gagarin Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin; Gagarin's first name is sometimes transliterated as ''Yuriy'', ''Youri'', or ''Yury''. (9 March 1934 – 27 March 1968) was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who became the first human to journey into outer space. T ...

, the rocket engineer

Sergei Korolev Sergei Pavlovich Korolev (russian: Сергей Павлович Королёв, Sergey Pavlovich Korolyov, sʲɪrˈɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪtɕ kərɐˈlʲɵf, Ru-Sergei Pavlovich Korolev.ogg; ukr, Сергій Павлович Корольов, ...

, the satellite Sputnik and the spacecraft

Soyuz Soyuz is a transliteration of the Cyrillic text Союз ( Russian and Ukrainian, 'Union'). It can refer to any union, such as a trade union (''profsoyuz'') or the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Сою́з Сове́тских Социалис ...

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 The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, China and the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ( ...

. The museum now features original interactive exhibits, as well as a refurbished promenade, the sculpture-lined

Cosmonauts Alley Cosmonauts Alley (russian: аллея Космонавтов) is a wide avenue in northern Moscow leading to the Russian Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics and the Monument to the Conquerors of Space. The pedestrian-only avenue connects the museum a ...

which connects the museum to the

Moscow metro The Moscow Metro) is a metro system serving the Russian capital of Moscow as well as the neighbouring cities of Krasnogorsk, Reutov, Lyubertsy and Kotelniki in Moscow Oblast. Opened in 1935 with one line and 13 stations, it was the first ...

. The museum is a favourite of students worldwide and a primary tourist attraction of the city.Moon, p.171.

Exhibits

File:Krechet.JPG, Soviet ''Krechet'' spacesuit File:Soviet rocket propulsion RD-214.JPG, Rocket propulsion units,

RD-214 The RD-214 (GRAU Index 8D59) was a liquid rocket engine, burning AK-27I (a mixture of 73% nitric acid and 27% N2O4 + iodine passivant and TM-185 (a kerosene and gasoline mix) in the gas generator cycle. As was the case with many V-2 influenc ...

File:Gagarin's capsule in Moscow Cosmonautics museum.jpg, Space capsule used by

, 1961 File:Soviet moonrover.JPG, Soviet moonrover

Lunokhod Lunokhod ( rus, Луноход, p=lʊnɐˈxot, "Moonwalker") was a series of Soviet robotic lunar rovers designed to land on the Moon between 1969 and 1977. Lunokhod 1 was the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on an extraterrestrial ...

(Луноход) File:Km manual R0010816.jpg, Crew manual from

Apollo–Soyuz Apollo–Soyuz was the first crewed international space mission, carried out jointly by the United States and the Soviet Union in July 1975. Millions of people around the world watched on television as a United States Apollo spacecraft docked ...

Test Project (1974), in Russian and English. File:Km Grafik PC300007.jpg, Poster art of the Soviet space program. File:Soviet Apollo 11 flag.jpg, USSR flag display with Moon fragments. Presented as a gift to Soviet citizens by President Richard Nixon in June 1970 File:Fence surrounding the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics.jpg, The engraved fence surrounding the complex. Engraved with a picture of Sputnik 1

References

External links

Museum of Cosmonautics
official website
The Museum of cosmonautics
from ''The official Russian museums list''.
Museum of Cosmonautics at Google Cultural Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Museum Of Cosmonautics Museums established in 1981 Museums in Moscow Aerospace museums in Russia History of spaceflight Tourist attractions in Moscow Science museums in Russia 1981 establishments in the Soviet Union Space program of the Soviet Union

History

Renovation

Exhibits

See also

References

External links