Every year on May 18, the day of museums is celebrated around the world. The appearance of this holiday in the calendars took place in 1977, when, within the framework of the next International Conference of the Council of Museums, the Soviet side put forward a proposal to establish this cultural holiday.
According to the international definition of the term "museum" is an institution that is designed to serve the process of the development of society, to conduct educational, educational and scientific and educational activities, and is also one of the main means of cultural exchange, establishing mutual understanding and peace between people in the world.
And it is precisely the issue of preserving peace that is one of the main for the strategic missile forces, because, on the one hand, they possess the most formidable weapons on the planet, on the other hand, with the help of the same weapons they guarantee peace, containment of possible aggressors, acting as a component of nuclear strategic forces and performing the role of the state's nuclear shield.
On the eve of the International Day of Museums, the Strategic Rocket Forces came up with the initiative to open a long-term cultural project, within the framework of which it is planned to familiarize everyone with all the RSVN museums that exist at present. The beginning was laid on May 14 of this year, in the town of Balabanovo, Kaluga region, on the basis of the Training Center of the Strategic Missile Forces Military Academy named after V. I. Peter the Great, where a new branch of the Strategic Missile Forces Museum was opened.
By the way, the first such museum appeared in Soviet Russia back in 1987, on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the strategic missile forces. This museum appeared in the town of Vlasikha near Moscow, in one of the premises of the military town of the strategic missile unit. At the time of the opening of the museum, about 6 thousand exhibits were presented there. By now, their number has increased almost tenfold. As noted above, the museum has several branches - in the town of Znamenskoye, Astrakhan region and in Balabanovo, Kaluga region.
The new branch is located in the technical room of the training center. This structure is large in size, designed and built during the period 1964-1967. Up to the present moment, this room is the tallest building of the Center. Initially, its main purpose was to conduct practical exercises with students of the Academy. These classes, as a rule, concerned the installation of a ballistic intercontinental missile on the launch pad and the implementation of the necessary measures to prepare it for launch.
Later, when more modern and improved models of missiles appeared, which were launched from stationary launchers, the old-style missiles were removed from service. However, they did not touch the room, and since it could fit a rocket of any model due to its dimensions, in the early 2000s the idea of creating a museum here appeared.
In accordance with the Directive of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia, a branch of the Central Museum of Strategic Missile Forces was opened in Balabanovo in 2004. Until that moment, everything that was in the building was strictly classified, and not even every rocket specialist who had to attend classes at the Academy could get there, because this required a special permit.
At the moment, this is not a simple museum, but a whole classroom where theoretical classes are held, the main purpose of which is to study the device and use of ballistic intercontinental missiles, in particular, those that are in service with the missile forces.
Thus, there is something to see in the muse. Among the exhibits are more than two dozen rockets, all of them made in full size. There are both modern models, which are currently on 24-hour combat duty, and the very first models resembling the FAU-2. Thus, we can say that this exposition helps to study the history of the origin and formation of not only Russian, but also world rocketry.
If we dwell in more detail on the exposition, then it should be noted that here, in particular, a real technological model is presented - the legendary R-7 rocket, with the help of which the first artificial satellite of our planet was launched into orbit back in 1957, and later from its the first spacecraft with Yu. Gagarin on board also turned out to be helped in orbit. There is also the Zenit spacecraft, the Soyuz-TM technological model, and the real Soyuz-21 lander, the first model of the Molniya-1 spacecraft family, which were designed to provide television broadcasting and government communications. There are also devices for conducting space photography, the Mars-Venus apparatus and many other equally interesting exhibits.
Shown here is the R-36M, which according to NATO classification is called "Satan" and which is recognized as the most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile in the world, as well as one of the most accurate and reliable missiles in the world - the RSD-10 "Pioneer". For all the years of using this model, not a single case of accident or destruction was recorded, all 190 rocket launches were successful, the probability of hitting the target was 98 percent.
In addition, the museum also displays exhibits that were used in international military conflicts and which can be used to teach world history. We are talking, in particular, about the R-14 and R-12 missiles, which were used during the Cuban missile crisis. The rockets of these particular models were deployed in Cuba.
In addition, there is a museum on the territory of the center, where cadets study mobile launchers, combat watch support vehicles, silo launcher devices, and command posts.
