Inside Star City

A monument at the road junction leading to Star City, near Moscow Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

Cosmonaut housing at Star City Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

A statue of Yuri Gagarin, the Soviet cosmonaut and first human in space Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

Child residents of Star City Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

A children's playground with rocket-shaped climbing frame Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

Mir mock-ups formerly used for underwater training, now out of use Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

Pictures of cosmonauts who have been part of the Russian space programme Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

A Mir mock-up on a platform over the pool used for practising weightless space walks Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

A crew practises inside the Soyuz TMA trainer. It is considered very important to leave your shoes outside Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

Instructors monitor the crew's activities as they practise inside the Soyuz trainer Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

A display featuring a mannequin dressed in a cosmonaut's space suit Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

A mannequin dressed as a cosmonaut in a spacesuit Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

A bank of monitors in the Gagarin cosmonaut training centre in Star City Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

Inside the training centre Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

A shopping centre for residents of Star City Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

American-style housing for Nasa personnel in Star City Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

A newsagent's kiosk called the Soyuz Press Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

Flowers left at the statue of Yuri Gagarin, the Soviet cosmonaut and first human in space Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

The centrifuge designed to imitate G-forces during a rocket's lift-off Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

A Soyuz TM trainer Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian

A full-scale mock-up of the Mir space station used for cosmonaut training Photograph: Linda Nylind/Guardian