London Science Museum Explores History of Russian Space Travel

The story of Russian space travel is being told for the first time at London’s Science Museum. The exhibition, Cosmonauts: Birth of the Space Age, explores how Russia led the way in the space race, sending the first Sputnik satellite into space in 1957, followed by the first dog and the first human, Yuri Gagarin. Many of the 150-plus items on show have never been on public display before. The extraordinary collection – from spacecraft to drawings, gadgets and survival kits for crash landings – also provides rare insight into the personal stories and struggles of the cosmonauts, including the intense pressure on them to succeed. Highlights of the exhibition include the Vostok 6, the capsule flown by 26-year-old Valentina Tereshkova to become the first woman in space, original Soviet space posters, and the LK-3 Lunar Lander, which was built in response to Apollo. Until March 13.