Baikonur spaceflight mural. Space-themed tile mural at the entrance to the town of Baikonur, Kazakhstan. This town is named for the nearby Baikonur Cosmodrome, which was founded here by the Soviet Union in 1955 (year at left). The area has been leased to Russia since the break-up of the USSR, and is the location for all crewed Russian spaceflight launches. Photographed on 25 May 2013.