Published on: 2026-09-30
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
From October 3 to 9, VDNH will join the World Space Week. Free thematic tours and lectures will take place at the “Cosmonautics and Aviation” center, the interactive museum complex (IMK) “Buran,” and the “Moscow Model” pavilion. Admission to events at the first two venues will require preliminary registration.
Cosmonaut Traditions and Stars in Cartoons
The festive week will begin on October 3 at 12:00 at the Cosmonautics and Aviation Center with a tour “Earth, goodbye! ‘Additional acceleration’ and other cosmonaut traditions”. The tour guide will explain why no launches are ever conducted at the Baikonur Cosmodrome on September 24 and what rituals help prepare for launch at other spaceports around the world. Another topic will be the return to Earth: guests will learn what space explorers receive besides the high title of Hero of Russia.
At 18:20 in the IMK “Buran,” Anastasia Stebalina, an expert of the “Space” pavilion, will give a lecture “Space and Cosmetics”. Listeners will be told how the starry sky and space technologies inspired creators of decorative and skincare cosmetics and whether there is a makeup bag on board the International Space Station.
At 19:40, a lecture will take place there “UFO: Unusual Flying Orbitals”. Isaac Newton wrote about launching a core into orbit using a powerful cannon on a high mountain, Fyodor Dostoevsky about a cosmic axe, and Bertrand Russell about an orbital teapot. No less unusual objects are found in real astronautics. The lecture will cover artificial satellites — from serious scientific instruments to curiosities that appeared thanks to human imagination or chance. Listeners will also learn how many objects have been intentionally and accidentally launched into orbit.
On October 4 at 5:00 PM, a tour will take place at the “Cosmonautics and Aviation” center “In Contact with Orbit: Earth through the “Eyes” of Satellites”. Satellites help monitor the weather, diagnose the state of the atmosphere, and rescue ships. Participants will be explained how orbital devices see the Earth and what the data they obtain is used for. In practice, guests will try reading satellite images and also understand the principles of operation of navigation and monitoring systems.
There, on October 6 at 18:00, a tour will begin “Jokes about space”. Space themes have long been reflected in stories, anecdotes, and tales. Even astronauts joke, including during flights. The tour will discuss humor on Earth and in space and how it helps to cope with unusual and extreme situations.
At 18:20 in the IMK “Buran,” Anna Antonova, an expert from the “Cosmos” pavilion, will give a lecture “Drawn Stars”. Stars have been familiar to people since childhood through fairy tales, stories, and cartoons. The basis for the astronomy lecture will be well-known animated films. Together with Anna Antonova, listeners will find out which celestial objects are depicted in them, how realistically they are shown, and whether they can be seen in the sky above VDNH.
At 19:40, a lecture will begin here “Meteor Showers”. Many have been accustomed since childhood to make a wish upon seeing a falling star, although this phenomenon is not related to real stars. The lecture will explain its nature and the difference between a meteor and a meteorite. Attendees will also learn when entire meteor showers can be observed and will get acquainted with interesting facts about Halley’s Comet.
On October 7 at 18:00, a lecture by Anna Antonova will take place in the “Moscow Model” pavilion “The Guiding Stars of the Magellanic Universe”. It will be about stars that light the way for astronauts. Special attention will be given to the celestial bodies that especially impress space conquerors, and the suns mentioned in their books.
At 19:20 at the IMC “Buran,” Boris Palchits, an expert from the “Cosmos” pavilion, will give a lecture “In the Shadow of Cosmic Giants”. There are countries that constantly launch spacecraft and develop new launch vehicles. Meanwhile, other states have only recently begun developing their own programs or are still unable to actively engage in this area. The lecturer will talk about lesser-known countries that are rapidly mastering space today. A separate topic will be the prospects for creating new spaceports in different parts of the world.
On October 8 at 18:00, a tour will take place at the “Cosmonautics and Aviation” center “Through Time: Cinema and Space at VDNKh”. The history of domestic cinema and Russian cosmonautics will be explored through films related to VDNKh. Participants will see footage from the films “Podkidys” (The Foundling), “Svinarka i pastukh” (The Swineherd and the Shepherd), and “Svetly put” (The Bright Path) and learn which scenes were shot directly on the exhibition grounds. The talk will also cover the “Cosmos” pavilion and the era when a flight to the stars became a dream for millions of people. Visitors will trace the development of cosmonautics and how the main exhibition of the country itself changed.
The World Space Week will conclude with excursions “Space Records”, which will take place on October 8 and 9 at 7:30 PM at the ‘Cosmonautics and Aviation’ center. They will be dedicated to outstanding achievements over six decades of outer space exploration. Participants will learn who spent more than a year in orbit, which spacecraft traveled the farthest from Earth and continues to transmit signals, how much the heaviest and lightest spacesuits weighed, which cosmonaut was the tallest, and which dish was first served in orbit. The talk will also cover records of speed, altitude, duration, and the people who set them. All these facts will be combined into a kind of cosmic record book.
Holding events for VDNH guests aligns with the objectives of the national project “Tourism and Hospitality”. More details about Russia’s national projects and the capital’s contribution can be found at special page.
A large-scale project is presented on the mos.ru portal special project, dedicated to the development of key areas of Moscow. These include transport, industry, healthcare, education, sports, and the construction sector. The special project helps to learn how the capital has changed over the past years, which initiatives aimed at making residents’ lives even more comfortable are currently being implemented, and what awaits Moscow and its inhabitants in the near future.
On the project page “Culture, Heritage, and Leisure Industry” you can learn about how the capital preserves architectural monuments.
Moscow is the cultural center of the country and ranks among the leading metropolises in the number of museums and exhibition halls. The city has created a film cluster that unites the Moskino film factory on Ryazansky Prospekt, the Gorky Film Studio, and the Moskino film park.
Stay promptly informed of the main news on the official channels of the city of Moscow in messengers “Max” and “Telegram”.
Please note; This information is raw content obtained directly from the information source. It represents an accurate account of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.