Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics

Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics
Музей космонавтики
	; The entrance to the Museum (2019)
Agency overview
Formed	1981
Jurisdiction	Government of Russia
Agency executive	Golovkina Irina, Director;
Website	[1]

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

The Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics (Russian: Музей космонавтики), also known as the Memorial Museum of Astronautics 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 and receives approximately 300,000 visitors yearly.^[2]

History

The museum primarily focuses on the Soviet space program with major themes like the first person in space Yuri Gagarin, the rocket engineer Sergei Korolev, the satellite Sputnik and the spacecraft 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 International Space Station. 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

Soviet Krechet spacesuit
Rocket propulsion units, RD-214
Space capsule used by Yuri Gagarin, 1961
Soviet moonrover Lunokhod (Луноход)
USSR flag display with Moon fragments. Presented as a gift to Soviet citizens by President Richard Nixon in June 1970
The engraved fence surrounding the complex. Engraved with a picture of Sputnik 1