The Museum of the Implemented Dream

The Sergiy Korolyov Astronautics Museum in Zhytomyr is a place  where both kids and grown-ups can find something interesting for them. Children come here to dive into the magic world of the space fairy-tail, their parents and people of the elder generation do not forget the way to the museum either.

The inhabitants of Zhytomyr see the display of cosmos regularity in the fact that their native city itself became the birthplace of the  founder of practical astronautics - Sergiy Korolyov. It was here, in Zhytomyr, where the Memorial House-Museum of Academician S.Korolyov was opened in the year of 1970. Inspired by the unanimous feeling of pride and love for their famous countryman, the inhabitants of Zhytomyr had built it by common efforts. And the museum has become their favourite, the pride, decoration and the main sight of interest of the city.

When visiting the museum you can hear the lifestory of a gifted scientist and engineer, the founder of rocketry and astronautics in the country. It is the story about the rocketry and astronautics birth process in this country, about the contribution of Ukrainian scientists into it. You will see, it is not just a museum of techniques history, but the museum of Man who, conquering numerous difficulties and obstacles, can create wonders of techniques, it is the museum of the dream that has become true.

Korolyov’s life was not an easy one, it was full of contradictions and paradoxes of that epoch. Sometimes it seemed to be the exact reflection of that epoch with its dark and bright sides. He adhered to it closely, unseparably, having learned its triumphs, but having drunk the bitter cup of its troubles and grieves. Korolyov’s biography is the biography of his country concentrated in one man.

Sometimes Korolyov is compared to a general - for his ability to unite people, to lead them, to choose the strategic direction, to forsee the results, to take the responsibility, at last - to risk.

Besides, he was a man of a wonderful force of spirit, devoted to his dream, to the cause of his life.

S.Korolyov stood by the source of practical astronautics not only from the point of view of creation of quite a new kind of techniques but from the point of view of growing a new kind of thinking - cosmos thinking, based not only on the theoretical laws, but practical experience as well. That is why it is natural that in the museum named after him astronautics is displayed as quite a new field of human activity. The one which has influenced not only scientific and technical progress in the whole world but has activised cosmos tendencies in human mentality, morality, spirituality and creativeness.

Man’s penetration into space has influenced not only material and technical aspects of the planet life but also the spiritual development of mankind. More and more we can watch the close connection between the astronautics development and changes of human outlook. The more numerous becomes the quantity of the people who had watched their planet from the space distance, the stronger force is obtained by the phenomenon of global thinking. The practical astronautics sharply outlined the global problems of our civilization and still remains one of the most perspective directions of human activity in the future.

That is why the museum deals not only with the history and news of astronautics. Philosophy and Arts also enjoy their full rights here. Side by side with the scientific conferences which are regularly held at the museum and gather scientists and museum specialists from everywhere, meetings with interesting people, literary soirees, musical evening parties, painting vernisages, even theatre performances have become a good custom here. All this makes the museum the centre of cultural and spiritual life of the city, the favourite rest place of its citizens.

The main characteristic feature of this museum is the fact that the conceptual program of its activity unites the natural-technical and humanitarian aspects. This feature determines the main directions of its work. It is also reflected in the design of its “Cosmos” exhibition.

Two themes are going on parallelly, mutually penetrating: “Ukraine and Astronautics” and “Man and Cosmos”*. The samples  of space techniques give possibility to browse pages of space exploration history, revealing simultaneously the role of the Ukrainian specialists in this process. Man-explorer, the one who is learning the surrounding world, the nature. But at the same time this is the Man seeking his place and destiny in this world. The Man, ploughing his way through thorns to stars - with his problems and needs, the main of which is the necessity for creation. Having been born here, this theme comes to another exhibition - the painting vernisage, where it is revealed through the works of a certain artist. At the “Cosmos” exhibition it is expressed in a different way - in the form of a concert, an evening-party, a performance - always revealing the same need of man, the same gift sent to him by the Lord - the ability to create.

At the centre of the “Cosmos” exhibition, in a basin with water – a symbol of life - one can see the Bible - a symbol of wisdom. It says that the Lord created a man according to his image and like himself. What kind of likeness is it? Isn’t it this ability and necessity of creation? It presents us perturbation of the soul, some unconscious striving, languish for something very important. If not satisfied this need gives suffering. But it may bring real happiness as well.

Nowadays, at the beginning of the third millennium the old truth, looking at us from the depth of years, still remains as topical as always: the two aspects of a human being are unseparable - Man-explorer striving to extend his knowledge and Man opening his heart wide to hold a neighbour, the mankind, the world, the Universe - from a small blade of grass, from an ant - to distant galaxies.

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