The Mir Spacecraft Museum or Mir Exhibition Hall (ミール展示館) is an area inside the Tomakomai City Technology Center that is dedicated to the Mir Spacecraft. It is located at 3 Chome-1-12 Asahimachi, Tomakomai City in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan.
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| Mir Spacecraft Museum |
Mir Spacecraft Museum details
Tomakomai City, located in Hokkaido, Japan, celebrated its 50th anniversary as a city in 1998 in a grand event that highlighted the city's development and prospects. One of the highlights of this celebration was the donation of the Soviet-made space station "Mir" to the city.
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| Mir Spacecraft Museum - Tomakomai City, Hokkaido Prefecture |
Originally, Horie Kikaku, a development company in the space industry based in Tokyo, purchased the Mir spare spacecraft from the Soviet authorities. The Mir had previously been on display at the World Design Expo in Nagoya. Iwakura Construction, a renowned company, repurchased the spare Mir and Kuvant aircraft and generously donated it to Tomakomai City.
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| ミール展示館 |
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| Mir Spacecraft Museum facade |
The purpose of the donation was to support youth aerospace and science and technology training in the city. With the completion of the land adjacent to the science center, the Mir was set up and exhibited as an outdoor exhibit during the 50th-anniversary commemoration. However, due to the overwhelming response from citizens and related parties, the local government decided to construct an indoor exhibition facility.
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| Mir Spacecraft Museum mascots - Sai-kun, En-kun, Sue-chan |
With the help of government subsidies, construction of the Mir Exhibition Hall began and was completed in December 1999. The opening of the indoor facility allowed visitors to explore the history and significance of the Mir Space Station in a comfortable and immersive environment.
The Mir Spacecraft
Since its establishment, the Mir Exhibition Hall has attracted visitors from all over Japan and beyond. The exhibition has been a popular attraction not only for space enthusiasts but also for those interested in the advancements of science and technology. In addition to the exhibition itself, the Mir Exhibition Hall has also had the privilege of hosting several cosmonauts. Prominent figures such as Aleksandr Serebrov, Alexander Razutkin, and Sergei Oudeyev have visited the exhibit, providing invaluable insights and experiences for visitors.
Inside the Mir Exhibit
The Mir Space Station itself holds great historical significance. Launched by the former Soviet Union in February 1986, it was the world's first long-term space station. The Mir had six docking ports on its main body, enabling various experiments and research in a zero-gravity environment. The station exceeded its initially planned design lifespan of five years and continued operations for 15 years. Mir played a vital role in advancing space exploration and scientific research during its active years. Over 100 astronauts from various countries stayed in the space station, conducting experiments and expanding our understanding of space.
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| The Backpack Adventures visits the Mir Spacecraft Museum |
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| Some parts of the Mir Space Craft |
However, on March 23, 2001, the Mir Space Station met its end when it crashed into the South Pacific Ocean, specifically 2,000 km east of New Zealand. Despite its retirement from service, the Mir remains a testament to human achievements in space exploration and served as an inspiration for future missions and space stations.
Mir Spacecraft Museum in Pop Culture
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| Erased (Boku dake ga Inai Machi (僕だけがいない街)) |
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| 2017 Erased live-action series |
The donation of the Mir Spacecraft to Tomakomai City has provided a significant educational and cultural resource for visitors to explore and learn about space exploration. The Mir Exhibition Hall continues to be a popular attraction, offering a glimpse into the wonders of space and the achievements of mankind in this field.
Team Nicerio visits the Mir Spacecraft Museum
My family and I first visited the Mir Spacecraft Museum last October 9, 2022, during the second day of our “October 8-10” Road Trip. It was my 342nd day in Japan as an ALT under the JET Programme. During our visit, we enjoyed learning about the spacecraft and its role in advancing space exploration. Hopefully, someday, we get to visit a real space station in space.
Mir Spacecraft Museum Fees
It’s FREE to visit and explore the main exhibition room, Mir exhibition hall, and planetarium.
Mir Spacecraft Museum Operating Hours
Mir Spacecraft Museum is open from 9:30 AM to 5 PM.
It is closed every Monday (if Monday is a holiday, then it’s closed on Tuesday)
Year-end and New Year holidays (December 29th to January 3rd)
Why visit the Mir Spacecraft Museum?
If you’re a big fan of anything space-related, you should include the Mir Spacecraft Museum in your itinerary when visiting Tomakomai City. Aside from being an authentic piece of space tech, the Mir Spacecraft displayed here was featured in both the anime and live adaptation of the manga Boku dake ga Inai Machi which is famously called Erased in other countries.
Getting to the Mir Spacecraft Museum
From Sapporo Station, ride the 140 Rapid New Chitose Airport train of the Rapid Airport train service. Board down at Minami-Chitose Station and transfer to the Local Tomakomai train of the Chitose Line and board down at Tomakomai Station.
Once there, walk for about 1.4 kilometers going to the Mir Spacecraft Museum.
Travel time: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Fare: 2,520 yen
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