Museum of Aviation and Cosmonautics named after S. P. Korolev

The Museum of Aviation and Cosmonautics named after S. P. Korolev (Muzey aviatsii i kosmonavtiki imeni S. P. Koroleva) is located in Samara, the administrative center of Samara Oblast, on the grounds of Samara University named after Academician S. P. Korolev (formerly the KuAI aviation institute, later SSAU), at Moskovskoye Shosse 34, building 3. The museum covers the history of Russian aviation and cosmonautics and the university's ties to the rocket and space industry.

History

The museum opened on January 12, 1977. From 1981 it gained the status of an independent structural unit of the institute, now Samara University. In 1989 the museum was awarded the honorary title "People's Museum."

What to see

The exhibition covers 400 square meters and is divided into two halls: "History of Russian Aviation and Cosmonautics" and "History of Samara University." The museum holds more than 150 models of aviation and rocket-space technology, including models of the Mir orbital complex and the Vostok and Soyuz launch vehicles.

Among the genuine exhibits are spacesuits, including the suit of cosmonaut Yuri Romanenko and a Sokol spacesuit, the descent module of the Foton spacecraft, an NK-33 rocket engine, the small Pion satellite, ejection seats and high-altitude flight gear. A separate display is dedicated to the personal belongings, documents and letters of Sergei Korolev, as well as samples of space food and cosmonaut tools. The museum offers more than ten types of themed guided tours about aviation, cosmonautics and the university's history.

Next to the museum, on the university grounds, stands the Energia-Buran monument to rocket and space technology, erected in 1997 for the university's 55th anniversary.

Getting there

The museum is open to visitors on weekdays from 10:00 to 16:00, with a break from 12:00 to 13:00. It can be reached by buses No. 1, 22, 37, 67 or trolleybuses No. 4, 12, 15, 17 to the "Aerokosmicheskiy Universitet" stop; the nearest Samara metro station is "Moskovskaya." From Kurumoch Airport, shuttle bus No. 137 runs to the same stop.