50-YEARS OF THE FIRST MANNED SPACE FLIGHT

(MOSCOW/KALUGA)

In 2011 the humankind is going to celebrate 50-year's anniversary of the first man in the outer space. For Russia this date is especially important because this man was a Russian Yuri Gagarin and the rocket that brought him to the orbit was conceived, designed and constructed in Russia. Since that many people around the world commemorate 12 April as Cosmonautics Day (also known as Yuri's Night).

Nowadays, when we are all spoiled by the pace that technology is developing and used to the reports about the astronauts doing their routine job in the outer space, it is difficult to imagine that the human presence in the space is merely 50-years old. But at that time launching a man to the Earth's orbit was like jumping into unknown. Nobody knew what was waiting the humans when they would leave the comfortable environment of the home planet. That makes the achievement of the engineers, scientists, constructors and the cosmonauts even more impressive.

While the names of Yuri Gagarin and some other Russian cosmonauts are generally known to the people around the world, the names of the Russian scientists who developed the beginnings of the theory of the space flight as well as the talented constructors who designed the rockets and spaceships are much less pronounced.

Regarded as the founder of spaceflight Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, lived in the beginning of the last century in Russian provincial town Kaluga. He was inspired by early cosmist philosophers, especially Nikolai Fyodorov. Working as a high school mathematics teacher, all free time Tsiolkovsky dedicated to the theory of the spaceflight. His works further influenced researchers such as Friedrich Zander and laid the theoretical basis for the modern space science.

The father of the practical astronautics and the designer of the Soviet space program Sergey Korolyov during his life was mostly referred simply as the "Chief Designer". He was working in the time of the Cold War and even his name was a state secret then. His organizing talent and his foresight had helped Soviet Union to win the Space Race. Only many years later was he publicly regarded as the lead man behind Russian success in space. Nowadays the Moscow's suburb where the main space research centre of Russia is situated bears the name of Korolyov.

The program of the tour: 5 Days/ 4 Nights

Day 1	Arrival to Moscow, transfer to the hotel.
Day 2	Breakfast. Moscow city tour, including stops at the most famous landmarks of the Russian capital such as The Red Square with the tomb of the first cosmonaut Yury Gagarin, The Christ the Savior Cathedral, New Maiden Convent and the Sparrow Hills. The guided tour of the Kremlin. In the afternoon we visit recently renewed and updated State Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics. The museum opened after extensive renovation in April 2009 and features the original artifact of the beginning of the Space Age, such as spaceship landing modules and space suites as well as the life size model of 'Mir' space station main module.
Day 3	After the breakfast we go for full day guided tour to Kaluga - the birthplace of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, the founder of theoretical astronautics. There we visit the Museum of the History of the Space Exploration and the memorial house of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky where he contemplated the principles that laid the basis for the construction of the spacecraft.
Day 4	Breakfast. Full day tour to Zvezdnyj Gorodok ('The Star City'): Situated 30 km from Moscow the Star City has been at the heart of the Russian space program as the only professional training grounds of cosmonauts in the world. There the Cosmonauts Training Centre and Museum of the Star City named after Yuri Gagarin are located. We can see the biggest centrifuge in the world that is used for cosmonauts training by simulating the space flight as well as the Hydro Lab that is designed to test space object models and micro gravity. The main Russian Space Control Centre is situated there as well. The tourist visits to the Star City are only possible as a part of the organized groups.
Day 5	Breakfast, transfer to the airport, departure.

The price of the tour is quoted by request.