Published on: 2026-07-10
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian –
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Yaroslavl /Russia/, July 10 /Xinhua/ — On Thursday, correspondents from the Xinhua and TASS agencies jointly visited the “Cosmos” Museum named after the world’s first female cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, which is located in the village of Nikulskoye in the Yaroslavl region — her homeland.
V. Tereshkova was born on March 6, 1937. In January 1962, after the decision by the Presidium of the CPSU Central Committee to recruit five women as cosmonaut trainees, she became one of the first 58 women preliminarily selected to participate in space flights. From June 16 to 19, 1963, V. Tereshkova flew into space as the sole crew member — commander of the spacecraft “Vostok-6” /call sign “Seagull”/. She went down in history as the first woman cosmonaut and the only woman to complete a solo space flight. The total duration of V. Tereshkova’s flight was 2 days 22 hours 50 minutes, during which the spacecraft “Vostok-6” completed 48 orbits around the Earth.
As explained by the museum’s research associate Valentina Voronina, the museum was opened on January 25, 1975, and is dedicated to this historical event.
In the center of the main exhibition hall is the authentic descent module of a Vostok series spacecraft that went into orbit /only five such cabins have survived after the flights of the first Soviet cosmonauts, and one of them is in this museum/. Visitors can climb the stairs to the descent module and look inside the authentic spacecraft cabin to imagine the conditions under which V. Tereshkova managed to complete her flight program. The museum also features the training spacesuit made during her flight preparation. In the exhibition hall, there is a special headset through which one can hear V. Tereshkova’s voice and her communications during the flight with Earth.
The museum complex also includes a village house that recreates the lifestyle of the Tereshkova family. According to V. Voronina, visiting it allows guests to imagine how a simple girl from a peasant family managed to find her way to the stars.
By visiting the modern museum exhibition, people can trace the evolution of space technology — from spacesuits to rocket engines — and get acquainted with Russia’s key achievements in space exploration.
The museum also has the “Mars” hall — an interactive space that transports visitors to tomorrow, revealing humanity’s plans for conquering new worlds and exploring the Red Planet. Exhibits demonstrate 3D printing technology, aeroponics, and robotics. And on an 18-meter panoramic screen, all stages of the flight route Earth-Mars and the development of the first Martian base are vividly displayed.
V. Voronina told reporters from Xinhua and TASS that although the museum is located 30 km from the administrative center of the Yaroslavl region of the same name on the “Golden Ring” route Kalyazin-Uglich-Yaroslavl, it is very popular among tourists. Every year, the museum attracts a large number of visitors, especially schoolchildren.
Speaking about cooperation between Russia and China in the field of space exploration, V. Voronina said that once Chinese astronauts, also known as taikonauts, were trained at the Yuri A. Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Center, and in recent years China has made significant progress in space exploration. Russia and China have great potential for cooperation in this area. –0–
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