Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first person to orbit the Earth on 12 April 1961. Twenty years later, the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics opened in Moscow to celebrate the achievements of the Soviet space program. The museum houses an impressive 85,000 items, from Yuri Gagarin’s space capsule to genuine spacesuits.

There are even two taxidermized space dogs, Belka and Strelka, who were the first creatures to survive a 24-hour spaceflight orbiting Earth.

Please note the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and US Department of State advise against all travel to Russia due to the risk from its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

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Spectacular space experiences you can have on Planet Earth