Moscow’s Star City
The tree-lined entrance to the space-age sounding Star City looks decidedly low-tech, but like other space tourists before me, it’s a thrill just to approach the formerly top-secret Yuri Gagarin State Scientific Research-and-Testing Cosmonaut Training Center. Star City’s squat, brick buildings have seen better days. Weeds crack through concrete pavement, the paint is chipped, and the shrubs overgrown. Mission control is a bunch of old PC’s on a desk, with some well-worn sofas nearby, separated by green plants.Rocket science may attract the best and brightest minds, but the mechanics are still rooted in nuts and bolts, not stun guns and tractor beams. It’s a fascinating visit for bucket listers with their heads in the stars.
Length of Trip : 4 hours
Cost : Starting at US$165 per person.
Best time to go : Weekdays
Wheelchair friendly : Contact operator to make arrangements
Family friendly : Yes
Where to eat :
Mari Vanna (Spiridonyevskiy per., 10 А, Moscow)
Cafe Mu Mu (Plotnikov Ct. 45/24, Moscow,)
Official Site :
Rus Adventures: Star City
Where to Stay :
Budget: Godzillas Hostel Moscow
Mid-Level: Hotel Arbat
High-End: Hotel Baltschug Kempinkski
When staying in Moscow, we recommend the Swissotel Moscow.
Getting There :
Rusadventures Tour Company's buses will pick you up and take you to Star City, located 25 kilometres east of Moscow.
Note from Robin :
With a radius of 18 metres and 300 tons of rotating elements, Star City boasts the world’s largest and most powerful centrifuge. The human body begins to deteriorate at sustained G-forces above 10G, with G force being the energy of acceleration Space tourists learn how to contract their chest muscles and breathe with their lower abdomen while dealing with the intense pressure of the capsule as it re-enters the atmosphere.
PRESENTED BY FORD OF CANADA
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