A look at the history and habitat of the inhospitable home of space travel: Baikonur Cosmodrome. Subscribe for regular science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe Part of A Place Called Space, our 2015 advent calendar: http://rigb.org/advent In a hostile natural environment environment, and over 400 km away from the original ‘Baikonur’ in a place first called Tyuratam, Baikonur Cosmodrome has a special place in space travel history. It has been the launch site of hundreds of missions off our planet, from Sputnik, Laika and Gagarin and to Tim Peake. As Tim Peake set sail for the ISS, 2003 Christmas Lecturer Monica Grady was there to watch the launch. We take a look at the history of the enigmatic town that is the home of space travel. ‘A Place Called Space’ is the 2015 Royal Institution advent calendar. Every day in the run up to Christmas we'll be releasing an original piece of content exploring the human experience and cultural significance of space travel. With hand-drawn animations, experiments in zero gravity, interviews with astronauts and creative data visualisations, the calendar will fire you into space every morning. 'A Place Called Space' channels the voices of seasoned astronauts and expert scientists through the eyes of a team of talented animators, film-makers and artists, bringing you a thought-provoking gem to kick-start each day. Check it out at http://rigb.org/advent With special thanks to our lead supporter, Wellcome Trust http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/ The Ri is on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution and Tumblr: http://ri-science.tumblr.com/ Our editorial policy: http://www.rigb.org/home/editorial-policy Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter