Dialogue with the ISS in the Presidential Library completed the "CosmoStart" Forum

The wind noise, the whisper of leaves, the rain — these everyday and no longer noticeable sounds are in short supply for the Russian cosmonauts on the International Space Station — according to the closing ceremony of the All-Russian Patriotic Forum of Astronautics and Aviation CosmoStart.

“Unfortunately, the CosmoStart Forum is over. These two days have become very productive - we managed to discuss many topical issues and projects. In addition, I would like to note that in 2018 the forum reached a new level - it became international, - said the rector of St. Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation, Julia Antokhina. “But despite the fact that the event is ending, I would like to remind you that the central event of “CosmoStart-2018”,-  a direct connection with the ISS, is still ahead”.

For the second year in a row, the Presidential Library has become a platform for dialogue between the participants of the CosmoStart Forum and Russian cosmonauts, who are now on the International Space Station. The main hero of the day was Sergei Prokopiev, a member of the 57th international expedition, who answered the questions of those present in the conference room of the Presidential Library for schoolchildren and students. In particular, the guys asked him how to become an astronaut, what technologies of the future are used at the station, what experiments are being held and they were also interested in personal experience and feelings being in space.

The purpose of the All-Russian Cosmonautics and Aviation Forum "CosmoStart" is to promote engineering specialties and the topic of space among schoolchildren and students. The event, which was held for the third time in 2018, was attended by more than 500 talented representatives of the Russian youth, as well as cosmonauts and famous aerospace figures.

The activities of the Presidential Library are closely related to the theme of space. The building of the Day of Cosmonautics at the Presidential Library is held annually at the Senate Square. In 2017, a reprint of the book Space Rocket Trains was returned to the Presidential Library from a near-earth orbit. The publication, issued in 1929 and printed from an electronic copy from the library’s collection, was sent to the ISS by agreement with the Federation of Cosmonautics of Russia. In this work, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky talks about space exploration on the principle of space travel around the planets.

The digital collection “K. E. Tsiolkovsky (1857–1935)” is available on the Presidential Library’s portal. It includes publications introducing the life and work of the scientist, his works on the theory of air and astronomy, rocket production, astronomy, physics, biology, as well as philosophical and science fiction works.

A selection of "K. E. Tsiolkovsky (1857–1935)”, in turn, has become part of a large-scale basic collection of the Presidential Library “Open Space”, which is constantly updated with new exclusive materials. Among them are 15 theoretical works of such famous researchers as A. Fersman (“Chemical Elements of Earth and Space”, 1923), J. Perelman (“Interplanetary Travel”, 1935), I. Messer (“Star Atlas for Celestial Observations” 1901 of the year), and others. There are memorable issues of newspapers for April 12, 1961, books on space exploration, including those written by cosmonauts themselves, publicists exploring this topic. In addition, these are postcards, medals, photographs, stock footage, giving a complete idea of the first missile launches and space explorers.