Russian Space Museum at Energia

On Thursday I got to visit the Russian Space History Museum at the Energia site. Energia is the main contractor used for the Russian space program and they have a museum with the early and main space vehicles that were flown by Russia... it was very awesome.

Here were the highlights:

Sputnik: first satellite in space.

Earth's second launched space vehicle - with a dog!

Here is how the first animal in space, Laika , got up - not very comfortable... temperature wise either. Although, the original plans included poisoned food to be eaten on the 20th day in space, in reality Laika died from overheating due to poor thermal systems.

This was the next major manned or dogged vehicle, the Vostok. In total Russia launched around 60 dogs into space, and about 50% lived and returned to earth.

Here is Yuri Gagarin's capsule that returned to Earth (although he used the jettison system and did not "touch ground" in the actual capsule). In the display there is also a letter from Yuri to his wife. He was only chosen a few days before the mission, and it was highly top secret information so even his wife did not know he would be the first man in space. The letter was very sweet and heroic, and in the end was not needed because he lived to tell his story to his wife himself.

Here is a picture of the Soyuz vehicle, which began flying in 1963 and continues today to send astronauts and cosmonauts to the ISS.

Here is me in a Soyuz!!!

I'm a bit to short :(

And here are the control panels! What an awesome museum!