History and Culture: First exhibition of Soviet posters about space exploration presented at the VDNH in Moscow

The exhibition "The First in the World" was launched at the "Cosmonautics and Aviation" Centre within the framework of the Year of Space at VDNH (Moscow). It is based on materials from the collections of the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics.

The Soviet program of space exploration is the pride of the country. It provided a new conception of human possibilities to the whole world. It is reflected in literature, cinema and fine arts. Posters demonstrating space achievements could be found everywhere in the USSR. They were on street stands, at plants and factories, educational institutions, houses of culture and libraries.

The exposition has three thematic sections. The first section is entitled "The Way Open for a Man!". It features posters devoted to the Soviet space program, for example, the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite. The section also includes posters with images of cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin, Valentina Tereshkova and others.

The second thematic section is "Let There Be Peace!". It spotlights the influence of space travel on everyday life. The section presents posters that call for achievements in education and labour. Besides, they promote the deeds of the heroes of space. An example is the book "The Heroic Labour - the Way to Space Victories" by Valentin Viktorov. This section also showcases posters of favourite holidays, such as New Year, International Women's Day and others with space symbols as integral elements.

The third section "Sons of October - Pioneers of the Universe!" provides the most prominent propaganda posters in the USSR.

Soviet posters used to be a means of displaying the achievements of society and science. They are distinguished by an abundance of images and information. They may be educational, informative and enlightening. Posters were widely spread from 1918 to the early 1990s.