What is Star City, the secret Cold War cosmonaut training town in Apple TV's new 'For All Mankind' spinoff?

On May 29, Apple TV will launch " Star City ," their 10-episode spinoff of " For All Mankind " that depicts an alternate history of the space race from the Soviet perspective as they become the first nation to land a human on the moon instead of the United States. But far from being pure fiction, "Star City" is based on the real-life hidden Russian city just outside Moscow where cosmonauts lived and trained alongside engineers, scientists, and the ever-present eyes and ears of KGB agents keeping a lid on Soviet secrets. As a primer for Apple TV's upcoming show starring Rhys Ifans, Anna Maxwell Martin, Agnes O’Casey, Alice Englert, Solly McLeod, Adam Nagaitis, Ruby Ashbourne Serkis, and Josef Davies, we're heading behind the Iron Curtain to glean more info on how this location became the nexus for the USSR's human spaceflight endeavors. Along the way we'll pop in with a NASA expert and space history author to hear their thoughts on Star City, which is still operating today as a bustling international hub of cosmonaut activity. Break out the vodka and come along, dear comrades, while we drink a toast to Star City! The official flag for Star City. (Image credit: Roscosmos) A forbidden city in the trees At the tail end of the 1950s it was apparent that the Soviet's nascent manned spaceflight program needed a permanent home, something slightly off the grid (and maps!) yet close enough to the country’s capital and its political infrastructure. …