Birth of the space age exhibition: how we got the Russians on board
The capsule flown by the first woman in space and the five metre-high lunar lander designed to take a single cosmonaut to the Moon are among 150 items showcased at the London Science Museum from today (18 September). Cosmonauts: birth of the space age is an exhibition about the Soviet space industry – and the culmination of four years of hard work and cooperation between British and Russian museums and governments.
The L-K 3 lunar lander, built by the Soviets, is displayed in the Cosmonauts exhibition. Photograph: Science Museum
To gain access to these artefacts, many of which had never been on public display before, even in Russia, took a lot of perseverance and respect. For us at the British embassy in Moscow, helping get the project off the ground became a massive exercise in relationship-building, Russian style.
We let the Science Museum take the lead (Russians respect experts), alongside Moscow’s state museum and Roscosmos, the Russian space agency – while we worked hard to demonstrate that we understood how much Soviet space history matters to Russia and that even when politics are difficult we share its desire to celebrate what we have in common.
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We had to think outside of the UK model. Who could be our champions and help us influence the system? After a few brainstorming sessions drawing on the expertise of our Russian staff in the embassy, it became clear – Russia’s space heritage is not only about the rockets and capsules but also the people involved. Cosmonauts are heroes in Russia and when they speak, people listen – we needed the influence of the Gagarin generation.
Using personal contacts established during a 2011 project to erect a statue in London for the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s first spaceflight, we managed to get Russian space champions on board. This included Alexei Leonov, the first space walker, Valentina Tereshkova, first woman in space, and Sergei Krikalev, who until recently held the record for most days spent in space. After initial disbelief that a foreign museum wanted to tell their story, these pioneers threw themselves into the task, drumming up support for the exhibition. The daughters of Gagarin and Sergei Korolev, the father of the Soviet space industry, agreed to loan items from their personal collections.
In 2013, our ambassador, Sir Tim Barrow, and the director of the Science Museum Group, Ian Blatchford, met Russia’s deputy prime minister Olga Golodets, whose support was key to making the exhibition a reality. This support continued even at a time of enormous political strain following the crisis in Ukraine.
‘Listening to Alexei Leonov talk about his space walk sent shivers down my spine’. Photograph: Central Press/Getty Images
This project has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my career. I’ve met awe-inspiring people and visited the centre that has been training Russia’s cosmonauts for over 50 years – and is currently training the UK’s first European Space Agency astronaut, Tim Peake, who will blast off to the international space station in December. Alexei Leonov’s story of his space walk still sends shivers down my spine and highlights the risks these pioneers of space were willing to take.
Russia’s contribution to the space race cannot be underestimated. It is a fantastic example of human ambition. I’m proud to have supported the Science Museum’s desire to inform people about how Russia became the first nation to explore space. At a time when politics are far from simple, this exhibition has provided an opportunity to keep cultural channels open and show mutual respect for each other’s history, science and culture.
Gareth Wynn Owen is the head of the science and innovation network in the British embassy, Moscow
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