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All Kazakhstan Baikonur Cosmonaut Grove

Cosmonaut Grove

Avenue of trees planted by cosmonauts before their space departures.

Baikonur, Kazakhstan

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Allison Meier
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Cosmonaut Grove.   kilhor/CC BY 2.0
Trees lining the Avenue of the Cosmonauts   Marianna Vinokurova/International Cooperation in Space
Jogging on the Avenue of the Cosmonauts   European Space Agency/Flickr
Soyuz TMA-15 crew planting a tree in 2009   European Space Agency
Tree planted by Yuri Gagarin   nox-AM-ruit/Flickr
Marker for Yuri Gagarin’s tree   anuradha/Flickr
Expedition 18 plants a tree in 2008   NASA
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In a tradition that goes back to Yuri Gagarin and the Soviet space program, each cosmonaut crew member has planted a tree before their departure at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

The trees are located behind the Cosmonaut Hotel, which was designed for cosmonauts to rest before their space travels. The grove lines the Avenue of the Cosmonauts, as it's called, and each is designated with a plaque with the crew member's name and the year.

Gagarin's tree stands the tallest, while recent Soyuz crews have smaller saplings growing from the soil. A planting traditionally takes place the day before a voyage, although it can also be the week before, and it's accompanied by a walk in the grove to remember the intrepid cosmonauts who came before through the trees that flourish in their absence.

Related Tags

Cosmonauts Natural Wonders Monuments Nature
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Added By

Allison

Edited By

Molly McBride Jacobson, guynthomas

  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • guynthomas

Published

May 17, 2013

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Sources
  • http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/multimedia/gallery/jsc2011e029739.html
  • http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/multimedia/exp18_100808_prt.htm
  • http://suzymchale.com/ruspace/ceremonies.html
Cosmonaut Grove
Baikonur
Kazakhstan
45.964585, 63.305243

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