On February 7, in Kaluga, at the K.E. Tsiolkovsky State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics, an educational event "Night of Science" was held for the second time. This year's event was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding cosmonaut and designer Konstantin Petrovich Feoktistov.
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| Konstantin Petrovich Feoktistov. |
| Source: Valery Ageev |
The museum presented a special program to the visitors. It included a solemn laying of flowers at the monument to K.P. Feoktistov, a meeting with the Hero of Russia, cosmonaut Ivan Wagner. Her theme is "Orbital Stories: The Science that Changes the World."
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| Source: Valery Ageev |
Space engineer Marat Hayrapetyan spoke about how scientists are already preparing for a flight to Mars. Specialists from the Higher School of Economics showed what modern game design is and how game technologies are used in scientific and educational projects, and also demonstrated the capabilities of artificial intelligence.
The hosts of the Altered Reality podcast on Nika FM radio discussed with the guests of the event the powerful space fiction of Kir Bulychev, which is still relevant today not only for those who dream of traveling around the galaxy. The Federal Technopark of Professional Education traditionally presented lectures and workshops on robotics.
The guests of the Night of Science were also able to take part in technical and creative workshops, museum classes, intellectual games, Olympiads, quests, visit thematic and author's excursions, watch full-dome programs in the planetarium and listen to electronic music.
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| Source: Valery Ageev |
The history of the monument to the cosmonaut
In early December 2025, the grand opening of the monument to cosmonaut and designer Konstantin Feoktistov took place on the territory of the State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics named after K.E. Tsiolkovsky. The initiator and trustee of the project was twice Hero of the Soviet Union, cosmonaut Alexei Eliseev.
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| Source: Valery Ageev |
Natalia Abakumova, Director of the Tsiolkovsky State Museum of Fine Arts, emphasized that it is a great honor for us to unveil the monument to Konstantin Feoktistov, the first civilian cosmonaut, who combined the talent of a designer and the courage of a pioneer. This monument has become an important part of the museum's space, which tells visitors not only about the devices, but also about the people who created them.
The Chairman of the Duma of the Kaluga City District, Yuri Moiseev, emphasized the importance of this event.:
- Feoktistov is an outstanding engineer and scientist, he survived the horrors of the Great Patriotic War as a teenager. I am sure that the monument will become a worthy addition to our unique museum complex. I would like to thank the authors of the sculpture, the management of the Museum of Cosmonautics and everyone who participated in its creation and installation.
The monument's opening ceremony was attended by the monument's authors, People's Artist of Russia, sculptor Andrey Balashov and Vice-President of the Union of Architects of Russia, architect Alexey Komov.
The bronze composition represents the designer at work: the figure is at a desktop with drawings and instruments. An important focus is the mock—up of a heavy interplanetary spacecraft for a flight to Mars, a project that a group led by Feoktistov worked on in the 1960s. The monument is installed on the site near the historical museum building.
Kaluga honors the memory of this outstanding man who made a huge contribution to space exploration. Konstantin Petrovich Feoktistov is an honorary citizen of the city.
A little bit about the museum
The Tsiolkovsky State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics in Kaluga is the world's first and Russia's largest space museum, created with the direct participation of S.P. Korolev and Yuri Gagarin. The Cosmonautics Museum was opened on October 3, 1967.
The unique expositions of the Museum of Cosmonautics reveal the history of aeronautics, aviation, rocket and space technology. The scientific legacy of Tsiolkovsky, the founder of theoretical cosmonautics, a major inventor, and the author of works on philosophy and sociology, is exhaustively presented.
The museum's exhibitions reflect the history of Russian cosmonautics from the first artificial satellite of the Earth to modern long-term orbital stations. Visitors to the Museum of Cosmonautics get acquainted with the activities of outstanding chief designers: S.P. Korolev, V.P. Glushko, V.N.Chelomey, S.A. Kosberg, G.N. Babakin, A.M. Isaev and others. The Museum of Cosmonautics displays a collection of rocket engines.
The museum has the most comprehensive systematic collection of museum objects on cosmonautics in the country, most of which are unique. The museum's collection includes more than 75,000 items.
Lectures are held in the cozy planetarium of the Cosmonautics Museum using spectacular visual effects. In 2009, the museum installed the latest model of the planetarium of the German company Karl Zeiss, which allows demonstrating full-dome programs with an amazing imitation of presence in space.
The museum conducts research work on the study and promotion of the creative heritage of K.E. Tsiolkovsky, domestic and foreign pioneers of rocket and space technology, A.L. Chizhevsky; the history of rocket science and cosmonautics, the spread of the idea of space exploration.
The State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics named after K.E. Tsiolkovsky also includes: the K.E. Tsiolkovsky House Museum, opened in 1936 on the first anniversary of Tsiolkovsky's death and today is a real pearl of Russian culture, the Tsiolkovsky Apartment Museum in Borovsk, Kaluga Region, as well as the A.L. Chizhevsky House Museum and a branch of the Scientific andMemorial Museum of Professor N.E. Zhukovsky" in Moscow.
The Museum of N.E. Zhukovsky is a collection-type museum that collects and presents materials reflecting the activities of Professor N.E. Zhukovsky, his students and associates, the creation and development of TsAGI, and the history of Russian aviation.
Valery Ageev
