29 March Cosmonaut Museum

The Cosmonaut Museum and VDNK area

The United States had believed itself to be the world leader in space technology and thus the leader in missile development. The surprise of the Sputnik launch and the failure of the first two U.S. launch attempts proved otherwise. The shock of the Sputnik launch was so great the Space Race began, leading up to the first human being launched in space, Project Apollo and the moon landings in 1969.

The museum is housed in the base of the highly impressive ‘Conquerors of Space’ monument, an enormous silver rocket soaring into the sky on a 100m stream of glistening Titanium.

In the museum you will find a fascinating collection of engines, moon-walkers, model satellites and space suits including that of the legendary Yuri Gagarin. The depictions of constellations and atmospheric lighting (or lack of it) help recreate the aura of outer space.

The VVC is a great tourist attraction since the early Soviet days; and is still popular now.
The centre was designed to impress foreigners. Point of fact, it was meant to impress everyone although for different purposes.

Its’ citizens needed to be absolutely positive that the Soviet Union was the mightiest nation in the world; foreigners should be overwhelmed by the astonishing colossus of the Soviet Union. The same visitors would return to their home countries reinvigorated; to carry on their struggle for communism.

Cost : 2500n rub for adults and 2000 rub for children under 14 y o