Soviet dreams: the tough, toylike beauty of Russian space relics

With scorched capsules, space dogs and sci-fi art, Cosmonauts tells the moving and shocking story of the Soviet Union's space programme

When astronaut Tim Peake blasted off into space in time for Christmas, he went in a Soyuz rocket, from the very launch pad Yuri Gagarin used to become the first human being in space in 1961.

It was not really a triumph for Britain, but for Russia. If seeing Peake soar into orbit in Russian cosmonaut technology with echoes of the Soviet era whetted your appetite for Sputnik and space dogs, or if your kids are into space, or if you want to see one of the most impressive collections of space-age artefacts ever assembled in Britain, the best exhibition to visit over the holidays is Cosmonauts at the Science Museum in London.