Launchpad to the stars, this 40-year-old settlement is home to the Baikonur Space Center, the Commonwealth of Independent State's Spaceport for manned and unmanned space voyages.
It was from there that the Mir Space Station was launched and controlled. The site used to be open for tours, but the government now prohibits most visits and it's rumored that the base will be closed permanently. There's not much else to see in the area—the setting is quite bleak.
590 mi/950 km northwest of Almaty.
