Star City camp

BBC News: Inside Russia's space camp.

The location symbolises the sensitivity.  For years, Star City didn't appear on  any maps - kept hidden away from the West's prying eyes during the Cold War.  Even  today, gaining entry to Russia's Cosmonaut training centre requires lengthy  negotiations.  The site, not far from Moscow, remains highly secret, surrounded by  barbed wire fencing and thick forest.  For more than 40 years, Star City has been  at the heart of the Russian space programme and its fortunes have mirrored both the ups and downs of the Soviet Union and then the trials and tribulations of  post-Communist Russia.  Now, some of its secrets are being revealed in a BBC Radio  documentary.

There's a link to listen to the documentary at the end of the article.  Star  City is training space tourists now.