Museum of Cosmonautics Moscow

The Monument to the Conquerors of Space went up in 1964: a titanium-clad curve 107 metres high representing a rocket exhaust, with a rocket at the tip, and it stood empty for decades before a museum was opened inside its base in 1981 and greatly expanded in 2009. The collection is the material history of the Soviet space programme - engines, capsules, suits, a Mir core module section you can walk through, tools, food tubes, and the flight control room reconstructed. The two exhibits people remember are Belka and Strelka, the dogs who went up in August 1960 and came back alive, both now taxidermied and displayed in cases. Outside runs the Alley of Cosmonauts with busts, and the house museum of Sergei Korolev, the chief designer whose identity was a state secret while he lived, stands a short walk away and is included in some tickets.

What to look for

• Belka and Strelka - the two dogs who returned from orbit in 1960, taxidermied in cases.
• The Mir module - a section of the station core, walked through.
• The 1964 monument - a 107 metre titanium curve with the museum in its base.
• The Korolev house - the chief designer's home, preserved nearby.

When to go

All year. Two to three hours, more with the Korolev house. Closed Mondays.

Practical notes

Labelling is heavily Russian with partial English. School groups fill the halls on weekday mornings. The Korolev house has separate hours and limited entry. VDNKh outside is enormous and eats time if you wander into it.

Nearby

VDNKh exhibition grounds are next door; the Ostankino tower is a walk west.