About Museum

The Museum of Aviation and Cosmonautics of Samara University is one of the leading aerospace museums in Russia and unique objects of higher education. It was founded in 1975 (the beginning of the design of the exposition) and opened in 1977. One of the main artistic features of the Museum was the stained glass window "The Way to the Stars", authored by the Honored Artist of the RSFSR V. Petrov. On the pediment of the Museum there are panels and a high relief of Academician S.P. Korolev, made by a member of the Union of Artists of the USSR A. Golovnin.

In 1989, the Museum was awarded the honorary title of "National Museum". In 1992, the Museum was re-exhibited (the exposition and exhibition hall of the history of aviation and cosmonautics). In 2015, the exposition and exhibition hall of the University's history was created.

The Museum's collections include products, assemblies and instruments of aerospace technology; scientific developments of University staff; models of aviation and rocket and space technology; photographic documentary materials; rare and unique publications; works of University scientists; photo archive and video fund.

The most valuable collections of the Museum are:

 • products and assemblies of aviation and rocket and space technology created in Samara;

 • unique historical documents of the late XIX – early XX century: lithographs on the history of aeronautics (England), educational and popular publications on aviation and aeronautics (Germany), the first Russian publications on aviation, collections of photographs and postcards of the early XX century;

•  collection of autographs (including letters and documents) of outstanding scientists and  designers of aerospace engineering and astronauts;

• record cases of Soviet cosmonauts of the 60-70 years of the XX century, including diplomas of the International Aeronautical Federation.

• photo archive on the history of Russian aviation and cosmonautics, including materials from the archives of the TASS photo chronicle and the state archive of film and photographic documents of the 50-80s of the twentieth century;

The Museum's video fund includes more than 300 Russian and foreign videos of aerospace and other subjects.

The Museum conducts training sessions, lectures, demonstrations, sightseeing and thematic excursions, organizes exhibitions, conferences, creative work contests, festivals, concerts. The Museum has a lecture hall and youth clubs.

The Museum's research activities are related to the study of the stages of formation and development of the Samara Aerospace Complex and Samara University, as well as the creative heritage of Academician S.P. Korolev.

The Museum works in close cooperation with the leading enterprises of the Samara Aerospace complex of JSC RCC Progress, PJSC Kuznetsov and others; it is a member of the Samara Region Association of University Museums; it is a scientific and methodological center and a regional branch of the Association of Museums of Cosmonautics of Russia (AMCOS), a corporate member of the Volga branch of the Russian Academy of Cosmonautics named after K.E. Tsiolkovsky, interacts with the International Council of Museums (ICOM) and the International Committee for the Preservation of Industrial Heritage (TICCIH), maintains contacts with foreign scientific and technical museums that are members of the CIMUSET association.