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World’s first female cosmonaut to tell London audiences about future of space flights

As of September 18, the Science Museum hosts an exhibition ‘Cosmonauts: Birth of the Space Age’ showing space exploration in the USSR and then in Russia

LONDON, September 17. /TASS/. World’s first woman cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova is expected to tell the visitors to Science Museum in London on Thursday about the future of space flights in Russia.

As of September 18, the museum hosts an exhibition ‘Cosmonauts: Birth of the Space Age’.

"The space exhibition will serve, I hope, further development of good relations between our countries and will enable the spectators to see what the age of space flights began with in Russia," Tereshkova who has the rank of the Major-General, told reporters.

"The great people like Sergey Korolyov and his associates did so much for development of space flight in the USSR and Russia at a really impressive rate," she said.

Russia’s ambassador to Britain, Alexander Yakovenko said on his part this exhibition "offers a graphic instance of how cultural cooperation continues to unite Russia and Britain at times of political contradictions.

"Quite a number of obstacles had to be cleared" along the way while this exhibition, which includes about 150 exhibits, was prepared, he said.

Ian Blatchford, the director of the Science Museum, called attention to it, too. He said the current exhibition was one of the most momentous events in the history of the museum founded back in the middle of the 19th century. It would not only show the achievements of the Soviet industry in science and technology but would also be a sign of respect for the people of Russia.

On Thursday, several events in the run-up to the opening of the exhibition will be held in London apart from Valentina Tereshkova’s address to the audiences in the form of a public dialogue with Ian Blatchford.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Olga Golodets will open the exhibition in a gala ceremony on Thursday night.

The exhibition showing space exploration in the USSR and then in Russia consists of unique exhibits accompanied by avant-garde works of art. Many of the documents and pieces of equipment from spacecraft have never left the Russian territory previously and some of the items have never been exhibited even in Russia, as they are stored in private collections or in strictly guarded storage facilities.

The exhibition will be open through to March 13, 2016. It was compiled in cooperation with the Moscow-based state exhibition company ROSIZO and the Federal Space Agency Roscosmos.

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