During the Soviet era, the location – on the outskirts of Moscow – was a guarded military installation, access to which was highly restricted. According to Nasa astronaut Michael Barratt, speaking in 1998: "Star City has always kind of felt like the forbidden city or the hidden city. It wasn't on any maps, certainly. It was a secret cosmonaut training base. Of course, everyone knew where it was, but it was considered a closed and secure city."