Enjoy a zero gravity flight in Star City on a two day tour of this previously secret location.
Star City is now open. After years of secrecy, visitors are now welcome to visit the training center of the Russian Cosmonauts. Various companies are now offering a tour of the center, which also includes your very own zero gravity experience.
Zero gravity in Star City
Visitors enjoy zero gravity in Star City by taking off in a specially designed plane, whereby all seats are taken out of the fuselage and heavy padding is placed throughout the plane. As the plane drops visitors enjoy the sensation for roughly 25 seconds. Instructors bring up things to play with such as soft balls etc..
The plane flies up to around 32,000 feet and drops altitude. As the plane is dropping visitors will feel a floating sensation.
Taking on the superman pose
Instructors are on hand to help
Program of zero gravity tour:
Day 1
13:45 – Arrival at Star city.
14:00 – Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center tour.
15:00 – 16:00 – Medical examination.
16:00 – 17:00 – Acquaintance with the instructors. Instruction on safety arrangements and rules of behaviour in case of off-nominal situations.
Day 2
07:45 – Arrival at Star city.
08:00 – Transfer to Chkalovsky airbase.
08:30 – 09:30 – Preflight instruction aboard Il-76 MDK.
09:30 – 10:00 – Take-off.
10:00 – 11:30 – Flight on IL-76 MDK flying laboratory with weightlessness into 10 parabolas.
11:30 – 12:00 – Personal certification.
2:00 – 12:30 – Transfer from the airbase to Star city.
When did Russia accomplish during the space race?
Once the most advanced nation, Russia celebrated the first animal to orbit the Earth (a dog, Laika), and the first man in space (Yuri Gagarin), whose spirits still haunt the buildings as you wander the streets of Star City.
Laika, the first dog in space
Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space – Source Real life stories
How do you hide an entire city?
Starting in the 1940s, the Soviet Union hid hundreds of them. Though many Russians knew of Star City’s existence, it was not recorded on any maps, signs or bus schedules. The city itself was shrouded in mystery, as visitors coming in and out were heavily restricted. Originally only consisting of one building, it slowly began to grow. During the 1960s, the Soviet Union invested heavily in the space program.
Despite its shabby appearance, it still contains some of the best training equipment in the world. So for any space enthusiast, this is a must see.
Russian cosmonauts at the training centre in Star City
Where is the city?
One of these cities was located 25 kilometers north of Moscow. The journey takes three hours and must be booked 45 days in advance.
