On the last day of our stay in Kaluga, succumbing to «persuasion» After the frost began to spend more time indoors, we went to the Cosmonautics Museum in order to personally see and feel the spirit of the cosmonautics cradle, as well as go to the planetarium, where one of our readers advised us to visit. We went not alone, but with local residents Vova and Any, with whom we lived in Kaluga. And we all got different and contradictory impressions there ...
Museum of Cosmonautics in Kaluga
Cosmonautics Museum in Kaluga
This trip was informative, although, I confess, a little strange. Well, to start with the fact that in all the halls where copies of various aircraft are presented in full size (why only copies?), Now and then there were strange constructions made of polyurethane foam and other materials that completely endure the brain with their shapes and colors. The exhibit called «Laikoy», the one that flew into space. But the author of the work saw her in his own light. Imagine a dismembered stool, whipped up again with a blindfold - this is what this masterpiece looked like.
We thought for a long time, wondered what this strange installation was and what the authors wanted to say by this, and why all this is exhibited in the Museum of Cosmonautics. It turned out that everything is very simple - these are works by children of 7-12 years old, exhibited in the Museum with the assistance of the wife of the governor of the city, who is engaged in all sorts of social projects. And now we do not know whether to be happy or even more upset that these masterpieces were made by children, it seems that this is our future after all. Really there were no normal materials and concepts?
One of the brain-bending masterpieces of the children's exhibition
Green Pegasus is directly related to astronautics
Masterpieces of the Children's Exhibition
One of the masterpieces of the children's exhibition at the Museum of Cosmonautics in Kaluga
All this cosmic in my head does not fit!
All our honest company in the Kaluga Cosmonautics Museum
Another amazing moment was the study of drawings and sketches of K.E. Tsiolkovsky, according to the official version of a self-taught scientist and pioneer of astronautics, who came up with a model of a rocket capable of flying into space. Honestly, I didn't know much about this man before visiting the museum, but after I saw the jumping little men on springs drawn by him, I had doubts about his genius and significance..
Jumping little men on springs - sketch by Tsialkovsky
One of Tsiolkovsky's original sketches
Naturally, upon arriving home, I began to dig in the Internet, and I could not find definite answers to my questions. But I did come across interesting facts, I don’t know if this is true or not. For example, the fact that «famous scientists» Tsiolkovsky began to be called after in 1935 our great leader sent him a telegram with the phrase «To the famous scientist Tsiolkovsky». At the same time, the assignment of such a high-profile status entailed the imposition of censorship on most of his works, many of which were not of a cosmic, but of a philosophical nature. And more than once there is a comparison between Tsiolkovsky and Jules Verne. Or the fact that Konstantin Eduardovich was a deeply religious person, and in order to calm down about the suicide of his two sons, he developed an independent theory about the reincarnation of souls. And also the fact that the formula for the speed of flight in airless space that glorified him was originally invented not by him, but by a certain Meshchersky or even Hanswindt ...
But still it is difficult to deny that Tsiolkovsky, being a simple rural physics teacher, was an outstanding person and most likely made a significant contribution to the development of science of his time..
Sketch of the monument to Korolev and Tsiolkovsky
It looks like an ancient computer
Cosmonautics Museum in Kaluga
Ejection cart for experimental animals
Museum workers are pretty cosmic
General Hall of the Museum of Cosmonautics
Cosmonautics Museum in Kaluga
Tour of the Museum of Astronautics
Cosmonautics Museum in Kaluga
Fashionable suit with pockets at the Cosmonautics Museum in Kaluga
Planetarium in Kaluga
And finally - the Planetarium. Very «polite» ticket salesman, «forgot» to warn us that we will get to the program for teenagers, so we had a culture shock in the hall. And not only because this program barely pulled on for children, and not for teenagers (what then are shown to children?), But also because of the 40-minute program, the starry sky literally flashed only a couple of times. The rest of the time we listened to the incoherent dialogues of poorly drawn computer characters, whose hands moved like claws, and managed to watch a couple of cartoons, one of which was Smeshariki! Honestly, since the previous night I slept badly, while watching, I frankly fell asleep twice and did not regret it at all.
Well, this is no good! Children have enough cartoons at home ... I remember my delight from visiting the planetarium as a child, all these mysterious constellations. The feeling that in Kaluga the money allocated for the program for the planetarium was cut by someone, so they riveted it, don't understand what. I understand that the old program was much better (according to reviews), and about the stars.
In the Kaluga planetarium
In the constellation planetarium we were shown a laser pointer
In the Kaluga planetarium
