VDNH contains a number of pavilions dedicated to individual achievements in Russian science, industry, and technology. The space industry is inextricably linked with the launch of an artificial Earth satellite and the first flights into the starry sky, which our country is also proud of. Therefore, it is quite understandable why the Cosmonautics Museum at VDNH acquired the significance of the largest institution in our country and the world.
Saving History
The rich past traditionally connects successive events of how a person historically approached the cosmos. The museum was founded in 1967, and for the first time it opened its doors in 1981. A giant titanium rocket at the entrance symbolizes a qualitative technological breakthrough. What is the Cosmonautics Museum in Moscow famous for?
VDNH collected the achievements of Russian cosmonautics. Everyone who wants to touch history will be able to see firsthand the satellites and devices used in the study of the solar system, as well as space technology. Fans of archival materials will be offered personal items, faleristics, graphic collections and much more.
The scope of the preserved heritage
The location of the museum is in harmony with the monument to the Conquerors of Space. It is a unique metropolitan monument. The idea of creating the Museum relates us to the scientist-designer Sergey Korolev, and its opening was accustomed to the 20th anniversary of the legendary flight of Yuri Gagarin.
The Cosmonautics Museum at VDNH (photo attached) has a huge territory. Its area covers more than 8.5 thousand square meters. Almost half of them are reserved for the main expositions.
Since 2006, a three-year reconstruction began. The main result was an increase in exhibition space. The museum includes eight exhibition halls and even a cinema hall in which documentaries are shown.
The main components
At the same time, the exposition was updated, which expanded significantly. Today, a visitor to the museum will see all the wealth of rocket and space technology. The interactive exhibits included various virtual simulators of the space station, docking and rendezvous, including a simulator, which makes you feel like a pilot of a search helicopter. The structure of the organization has an archive and a scientific library. The average number of visitors exceeds 300 thousand people per year.
The Cosmonautics Museum at VDNH has a mock-up version of the Mir station, the main feature of which is its full-sized scale. Everyone is allowed to enter the “World”. Nearby is the Flight Center, where it is proposed to watch the space station in real time. In the lobby there is the opportunity to purchase “space food” in tubes, which will undoubtedly create the right mood for the upcoming tour.
State social programs
The museum often takes part in various exhibitions and forums. So, in June, the International Museum Festival was held. Thousands of space lovers, including industry experts, come from all over the world. “Intermuseum 2015” was held in the subject of training sessions. The aim of the educational program is to introduce schools and other educational institutions to interact with the museum. The emphasis is on the formation of interest in space among students and other individuals.
Also in June, a special exhibition was held dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the large Baikonur cosmodrome. In addition, competitions are held annually for the title of the best museum worker-guide, which indicates a great professionalism and love of the museum staff for the work performed.
Interesting for visitors
Today the Cosmonautics Museum at VDNH includes the main exhibition halls, divided by subject:
- “Creators of the space age."
- “Exploring the Moon and Space.”
- "Cosmic morning."
- “History of the cosmos”.
- “International Park”.
- “House in orbit.”
The museum presents models of the automatic station Luna-1 and Luna-9, a self-propelled vehicle Lunokhod, a rocket liquid engine, a “space” bathroom, a star ship compartment and many other thematic items.
The Cosmonautics Museum at VDNH can be proud of its particularly unique collections, valuable for history:
- Fund of rare photographs and books, archival data and materials.
- Fund space models, rocket technology samples.
- A collection of special space equipment.
- Collection of flight clothes.
- Yuri Gagarin's Personal Items Fund.
- Memorial funds about the life and work of Sergei Korolev.
In addition, the museum is rich in exhibition projects opened since the beginning of the 2000s. It is noteworthy that Spain, Germany and other countries participated in their creation.
A similar space museum is located in Washington. However, many experts unanimously claim that the Moscow museum is more saturated and modern. And, of course, all patriots-lovers of space subjects can say the same thing.
