17.06.2019

Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky. Short biography. Space genius. Tsiolkovsky - scientist and philosopher of the Universe Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky discoveries

Date of birth: September 17, 1857
Date of death: September 19, 1935
Place of birth: the village of Izhevskoye, Ryazan Province.

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky- scientist and inventor. Tsiolkovsky Konstantin Eduardovich(Konstanty Ciołkowski) – pioneer in the field of space exploration, scientist. He is the “father” of modern astronautics. The first Russian scientist to become famous in the field of aeronautics and aeronautics. He believed in the possibility of establishing human settlements in space.

Konstantin first saw the light of day on September 17, 1857 in a little-known village, which was located near Ryazan. Tsiolkovsky's father served in forestry. Mother, Maria Yumasheva, came from small landed nobility, and, in accordance with the customs of that time, took care of the household.

At the beginning of 1868 she moved from the village to more Big City, Vyatka. Kostya began studying at the gymnasium. The boy had difficulty studying because he was deaf after scarlet fever. In 1873, the teenager stopped studying due to expulsion. Absence schooling did not prevent him from studying exact sciences all his life.

As a 16-year-old teenager, Konstantin goes to the capital. There he devoted himself to the altar of natural sciences and mechanics for several years. To be a full-fledged member of society, he uses a hearing aid. Studying, renting accommodation and food in Moscow were too much for young man in monetary terms. And in 1876, a young, well-educated scientist decides to return back to the province, to his father.

To support himself, the young man earns money by teaching algebra and geometry privately. The talented teacher did not experience a shortage of students, because... has proven itself to be excellent.

This experience was not in vain, because soon the scientist and his relatives moved to Ryazan. Here he finally receives a diploma, which allows him to start teaching in Borovsk.

The district school where Tsiolkovsky taught was located far from St. Petersburg and Moscow, centers of science. Despite this, Konstantin begins scientific work in the field of aerodynamics. He is the creator kinetic theory. He sends the figures obtained as a result of the experiments to the Russian Phys.-Chem. society. The response letter from Mendeleev shocks him - it turns out that this discovery had already been made a quarter of a century ago. But Konstantin’s calculations were appreciated in St. Petersburg.

At the beginning of the 19th century, a promising scientist went to live in Kaluga. He teaches and continues to work in aerospace and astronautics. It was here that he built a tunnel in which the aerodynamic features of the constructed devices could be tested. All this costs money, and Konstantin turns to the Physics and Chemical Society with a request for funding. Receives a refusal and spends family savings on his work. Money was spent on the construction of about a hundred prototypes. Having learned about this, the Society allocates almost 500 rubles to the researcher. The scientist invested all this money into improving the properties of the tunnel.

Space irresistibly attracts Tsiolkovsky, he writes a lot. Begins fundamental work on "Exploration of outer space using a jet engine."
The early 1900s brought a lot of troubles. In 1902, the scientist’s son, Ignat, committed suicide. After 5 years, the Oka overflowed its banks, flooding those in the only instance unique cars and the scientist's calculations. The Physics and Chemical Society remained indifferent to the work and problems of Konstantin Eduardovich, and did not allocate a penny to continue the work.

After the advent of Soviet power, Tsiolkovsky received a salary from the Russian Society of World Studies Amateurs. It came as a surprise to everyone that two years after the revolution the scientist was arrested. By a lucky coincidence, someone from the top of the party stood up for him and the scientist was released.

In 1921, the space explorer finally received the recognition he deserved from the new authorities. He is given a lifetime allowance.

In September 1935, Konstantin Eduardovich died from a malignant disease.

Achievements of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky:

More than 400 works on the theory of rocket construction.
Seriously engaged in the study of real interstellar travel.
A controllable balloon, an airship made of solid metal, was developed by Tsiolkovsky.
He justified that only rockets are capable of comic travel.
Developed the launch of a rocket from an inclined level. This development was used in Katyusha-type artillery mounts.
Offered new project engine with gas turbine traction.

Dates of the biography of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky:

September 17, 1857 - born in Ryazan Province.
In 1880 he got married in church to V. Sokolova.
In the period from 1880 to 1883 he published scientific works “Duration of Radiation of the Sun”, “Mechanics of a Likely Changing Organism”, “Free Space”. He began teaching at the district school.
1896 began to study the dynamics of rocket motion.
In the period from 1909 to 1911, he received official patents related to the construction of airships in the countries of the Old and New Worlds and Russia.
1918 Becomes a member of the Socialist Academy of Social Sciences. Continues teaching activities at the Kaluga Unified Labor Soviet School.
1919 The commission does not accept the project of an airship for arming the Soviet army. He wrote the autobiography “Fate, Fate, Destiny.” Spent several weeks in prison at Lubyanka.
1929 met with a colleague in rocket science, Sergei Korolev.
On September 19, 1935, he died from a malignant disease.

Interesting facts of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky:

Inspired by the ideas of the great inventor, A. Belyaev wrote a novel in the science fiction genre called “KETS Star”.
As a 14-year-old teenager, he made a lathe. A year later I did balloon.
The only thing that survived the fire in Tsiolkovsky's house was a sewing machine.

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky is a self-taught scientist who became the founder of modern cosmonautics. His desire for the stars was not hindered by poverty, deafness, or isolation from the domestic scientific community.

Childhood in Izhevsk

The scientist wrote about his birth: “A new citizen of the universe has appeared, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky”. This happened on September 17, 1857 in the village of Izhevskoye, Ryazan province. Tsiolkovsky grew up restless: he climbed the roofs of houses and trees, jumped from high altitude. His parents called him “bird” and “blessed.” The latter concerned important feature The boy's character is daydreaming. Konstantin loved to dream out loud and “paid his younger brother” to listen to his “nonsense.”

In the winter of 1868, Tsiolkovsky fell ill with scarlet fever and, due to complications, became almost completely deaf. He found himself cut off from the world, constantly received ridicule, and considered his life “the biography of a cripple.”

After his illness, the boy became isolated and began to tinker: he drew drawings of cars with wings and even created a unit that moved using the power of steam. At this time, the family was already living in Vyatka. Konstantin tried to study at a regular school, but did not succeed: “I didn’t hear the teachers at all or heard only vague sounds”, but they did not make concessions for the “hard of hearing.” Three years later, Tsiolkovsky was expelled for poor academic performance. He no longer studied at any educational institution and remained self-taught.

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. Photo: tvkultura.ru

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky in childhood. Photo: wikimedia.org

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. Photo: cosmizm.ru

Study in Moscow

When Tsiolkovsky was 14, his father looked into his workshop. In it he discovered self-propelled carriages, windmills, a homemade astrolabe and many other amazing mechanisms. The father gave his son money and sent him to enter higher education in Moscow. technical school(now Bauman Moscow State Technical University). Konstantin reached Moscow, but did not enroll in college. Instead, he signed up for the city's only free library - Chertkovskaya - and delved into self-study Sci.

Tsiolkovsky's poverty in Moscow was monstrous. He did not work, received 10–15 rubles a month from his parents and could only eat black bread: “Every three days I went to the bakery and bought 9 kopecks there. of bread. Thus, I lived on 90 kopecks. per month", he recalled. With all the remaining money, the scientist bought “books, tubes, mercury, sulfuric acid,” and other materials for experiments. Tsiolkovsky walked around in rags. It happened that boys on the street teased him: “What is it, mice or something, that ate your trousers?”

In 1876, Tsiolkovsky’s father called him home. Returning to Kirov, Konstantin began giving private lessons. The deaf Tsiolkovsky turned out to be a brilliant teacher. He made polyhedra from paper to explain geometry to his students, and in general often explained the subject through experiments. Tsiolkovsky gained fame as a talented eccentric teacher.

In 1878, the Tsiolkovskys returned to Ryazan. Konstantin rented a room and sat down to books again: he studied physical and mathematical sciences in the cycle of secondary and high school. A year later, he passed the exams as an external student at the First Gymnasium and went to teach arithmetic and geometry in the city of Borovsk in the Kaluga province.

Tsiolkovsky got married in Borovsk. “It was time to get married, and I married her without love, hoping that such a wife would not twist me around, would work and would not prevent me from doing the same. This hope was fully justified", - this is how he wrote about his wife. She was Varvara Sokolova, the daughter of a priest, in whose house the scientist rented a room.

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. Photo: ruspekh.ru

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. Photo: biography-life.ru

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. Photo: tvc.ru

First steps in science

Tsiolkovsky devoted all his energy to science and spent almost all of his teacher’s salary of 27 rubles on scientific experiments. He sent his first scientific works “Theory of Gases”, “Mechanics of the Animal Organism” and “Duration of Radiation of the Sun” to the capital. The scientific world of that time (primarily Ivan Sechenov and Alexander Stoletov) treated the self-taught man kindly. He was even offered to join the Russian Physicochemical Society. Tsiolkovsky did not respond to the invitation: he had nothing to pay membership fees.

Tsiolkovsky's relationship with academic scientific community were not easy. In 1887, he refused an invitation to meet the famous mathematics professor Sofia Kovalevskaya. Then he spent a lot of time and effort to come to the kinetic theory of gases. Dmitry Mendeleev, having studied his work, answered in bewilderment: “The kinetic theory of gases was discovered 25 years ago”.

Tsiolkovsky was a real eccentric and a dreamer. “I was always up to something. There was a river nearby. I decided to make a sleigh with a wheel. Everyone sat and pumped the levers. The sled had to race across the ice... Then I replaced this structure with a special sailing chair. Peasants traveled along the river. The horses were frightened by the rushing sail, the visitors cursed with obscene voices. But due to my deafness, I didn’t realize it for a long time.”, he recalled.

Tsiolkovsky's main project at this time was an airship. The scientist decided to avoid the use of explosive oxygen, replacing it with hot air. And the tightening system he developed allowed the “ship” to maintain a constant lifting force at different flight altitudes. Tsiolkovsky asked scientists to donate 300 rubles to him for the construction of a large metal model of an airship, but no one provided him with financial assistance.

Tsiolkovsky's interest in flying above the earth faded - he became interested in the stars. In 1887, he wrote a short story “On the Moon,” where he described the sensations of a person who landed on the earth’s satellite. A significant part of the assumptions he made in his work subsequently turned out to be correct.

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky at work. Photo: kp.ru

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky at work. Photo: wikimedia.org

Conquest of space

Since 1892, Tsiolkovsky worked as a physics teacher at the diocesan women's school. To cope with his illness, the scientist made a “special auditory trumpet”, which he pressed to his ear when the students answered him the subject.

In 1903, Tsiolkovsky finally switched to work related to space exploration. In the article “Exploration of world spaces using jet instruments,” he first substantiated that a rocket could become a device for successful space flights. The scientist also developed the concept of a liquid rocket engine. In particular, he determined the speed required for the vehicle to enter the solar system (“second cosmic speed”). Tsiolkovsky dealt with many practical issues of space, which later formed the basis for Soviet rocket science. He proposed options for rocket control, cooling systems, nozzle design and fuel supply system.

Since 1932, Tsiolkovsky was assigned a personal doctor - it was he who identified the scientist’s incurable disease. But Tsiolkovsky continued to work. He said: to finish what we started, we need another 15 years. But he didn’t have that time. "Citizen of the Universe" died on September 19, 1935 at the age of 78.

For years people have been trying to find answers about the structure of the Universe, looking at mysterious stars and dreaming of conquering space. Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky brought humanity closer to the conquest of airspace.

His works served as an incentive to create powerful rockets, aircraft and orbital stations. The progressive and innovative ideas of the thinker often did not coincide with public opinion, but the scientist did not give up. Tsiolkovsky's ingenious research glorified Russian science in the world community.

Childhood and youth

In the fall of 1857, a boy was born into the Tsiolkovsky family. The child’s parents lived in the village of Izhevskoye, Ryazan province. The priest named the baby Constantine at baptism. Eduard Ignatievich (father) was considered the scion of an impoverished noble family, whose roots went back to Poland. Maria Yumasheva (mother) is Tatar by origin, was educated at a gymnasium, so she could teach her children to read and write herself.

Mom taught her son to write and read. Afanasiev's "Fairy Tales" becomes Konstantin's primer. According to this book, a smart boy puts letters into syllables and words. Having mastered the technique of reading, the inquisitive child became acquainted with the numerous books that were present in the house. Tsiolkovsky’s older brothers and sisters considered the baby an inventor and a dreamer and did not like to listen to children’s “nonsense.” Therefore, Kostya inspiredly told his little brother his own thoughts.

At the age of 9, the child contracted scarlet fever. The painful illness caused hearing complications. Hearing loss deprived Konstantin of most of his childhood experiences, but he did not give up and became interested in craftsmanship. Cuts and glues crafts from cardboard and wood. From under the hands of a gifted child come sleighs, clocks, houses and tiny castles. He also invented a stroller that ran against the wind, thanks to a spring and a mill.

In 1868, the family was forced to move to Kirov, Vyatka province, as the father lost his job and went to join his brothers. Relatives helped the man with work, finding him a job as a forester. The Tsiolkovskys inherited a merchant's house - the former property of Shuravin. A year later, the teenager and his brother entered the men's “Vyatka Gymnasium”. The teachers turned out to be strict and the subjects difficult. Studying is difficult for Konstantin.

In 1869, his older brother, who studied at Maritime School. The mother, unable to survive the loss of her child, died a year later. Kostya, who dearly loved his mother, plunges into mourning. The tragic moments of his biography had a negative impact on the boy’s studies, who had not achieved excellent grades before. A 2nd grade student is left to repeat the second year due to poor academic performance, and his peers cruelly mock him for his deafness.

A student who was lagging behind in grade 3 was expelled. After this, Tsiolkovsky was forced to engage in self-education. Being at home, the teenager calmed down and began to read a lot again. The books provided the necessary knowledge and did not reproach the young man, unlike the teachers. In his parents' library, Konstantin discovered the works of eminent scientists and enthusiastically began studying them.

By the age of 14, a gifted boy develops his own engineering abilities. He independently creates a home lathe, with which he makes non-standard gizmos: moving strollers, a windmill, a wooden locomotive and even an astrolabe. His passion for magic tricks prompted Konstantin to create “magic” chests of drawers and drawers in which objects mysteriously “disappeared.”

Studies

The father, having examined the inventions, believed in his son’s talent. Eduard Ignatievich sent the young talent to Moscow, where he was supposed to enter the Higher Technical School. It was planned that she would live with my father’s friend, to whom they wrote a letter. Absent-mindedly, Konstantin dropped the piece of paper with the address, remembering only the name of the street. Arriving at Nemetsky (Baumansky) passage, he rented a room and continued his self-education.

Due to natural shyness, the young man did not decide to enroll, but remained in the city. The father sent the child 15 rubles a month, but this money was sorely lacking.

The young man saved on food because he spent money on books and reagents. From the diaries it is known that he managed to live on 90 kopecks a month, eating only bread and water.

Every day from 10:00 to 16:00 he sits in the Chertkovsky library, where he studies mathematics, physics, literature, and chemistry. Here Konstantin meets the founder of Russian cosmism - Fedorov. Thanks to conversations with the thinker, the young man received more information than he could have learned from professors and teachers. It took the young talent three years to fully master the gymnasium program.

In 1876, Tsiolkovsky’s father became seriously ill and called his son home. Returning to Kirov, the young man recruited a class of students. He invented his own teaching methodology, which helped children fully absorb the material. Each lesson was demonstrated clearly, which made it easier to consolidate what was learned.

At the end of the year Ignat died - younger brother Konstantin. The man took this news hard, since he had loved Ignat since childhood and trusted him with his innermost secrets. After 2 years, the family returned to Ryazan, planning to buy an apartment building. At this moment, a quarrel occurs between father and son, and the young teacher leaves the family. With the money he earned from tutoring in Vyatka, he rents a room and looks for new students.

To confirm his qualifications, a man takes exams as an external student at the First Gymnasium. Having received the certificate, he is assigned to Borovsk, to his place of public service.

Scientific achievements

The young theorist draws graphs every day and systematically composes manuscripts. At home he constantly experiments, as a result of which miniature thunder rumbles in the rooms, tiny lightning flashes, and paper people dance on their own.

The Scientific Council of the Russian Federal Chemical Society decided to include Tsiolkovsky among the scientists. The committee staff realized that the self-taught genius would make a significant contribution to science.

In Kaluga, a man wrote works on astronautics, medicine, and space biology. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky is known not only for his inventions, but also for his amazing thoughts about space. His “cosmic philosophy” expanded the boundaries of living space and opened the way to heaven for man. The brilliant work “The Will of the Universe” proved to humanity that the stars are much closer than it seems.

List of scientific discoveries

In 1886 he developed a balloon based on his own drawings.
For 3 years, the scientist has been working on ideas related to rocket science. Tries to put a metal airship into operation.
Using mathematical drawings and calculations, it confirms the theory about the admissibility of launching a rocket into space.
He developed the first models of rockets launched from an inclined plane. The professor's drawings were used to create artillery installation"Katyusha".
Built a wind tunnel.

Designed an engine with gas turbine traction.
He created a drawing of a monoplane and substantiated the idea of a two-wing aircraft.
I came up with a diagram of a train moving on a hovercraft.
Invented a chassis that extends from the bottom cavity aircraft.
Researched types of rocket fuels, recommending a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen.
He wrote a science-fantasy book, “Beyond Earth,” in which he talked about amazing journey man to the moon.

Personal life

Tsiolkovsky's wedding took place in the summer of 1880. Having married without love, I hoped that such a marriage would not interfere with work. The wife was the daughter of a widower priest. Varvara and Konstantin were married for 30 years and gave birth to 7 children. Five of the children died in infancy, and the remaining two died as adults. Both sons committed suicide.

The biography of Konstantin Eduardovich is replete with tragic events. The scientist is haunted by the death of relatives, fires and floods. In 1887, the Tsiolkovsky house burned to the ground. Manuscripts, drawings and models were lost in the fire. The year 1908 is no less sad. The Oka overflowed its banks and flooded the professor's home, destroying unique schemes and cars.

The scientific achievements of the genius were not appreciated by the workers of the Socialist Academy. The Society of World Studies Lovers saved Tsiolkovsky from starvation by awarding him a pension. The authorities remembered the existence of a talented thinker only in 1923, when the press published a report by a German physicist on space flight. The state assigned the Russian genius a lifelong subsidy.

Death

In the spring of 1935, doctors diagnosed the professor with stomach cancer. Having learned the diagnosis, the man made a will, but refused to go to hospital. Exhausted by constant pain, he agreed to undergo surgery in the fall.

Doctors urgently removed the tumor, but were unable to stop the division of cancer cells. The next day, a telegram was delivered to the hospital from, who wished a speedy recovery.

The great scientist died in the fall of the same year.

I went deaf after scarlet fever,
I studied the university program on my own for 3 years,
Known as a phenomenal teacher and a favorite of children,
Considered an atheist
A museum was built in Kaluga, where photographs and household items of the scientist are displayed,
Dreamed of an ideal world where there are no crimes,
He proposed dismembering murderers into atoms,
Calculated the flight length multistage rocket.

Quotes

“We must abandon all the rules of morality and law that have been instilled in us if they harm higher goals. Everything is possible for us and everything is useful - this is the basic law of the new morality.”
“Time may exist, but we do not know where to look for it. If time exists in nature, then it has not yet been discovered.”
“For me, a rocket is only a way, only a method of penetrating into the depths of space, but by no means an end in itself... There will be another way of traveling into the depths of space, and I will accept that too. The whole point is to move from Earth and populate space.”
“Humanity will not remain forever on Earth, but in pursuit of light and space, it will first timidly penetrate beyond the atmosphere, and then conquer the entire circumsolar space.”
“There is no creator god, but there is a cosmos that produces suns, planets and living beings: there is no omnipotent god, but there is a universe that controls the fate of all celestial bodies and their inhabitants.”
“What is impossible today will be possible tomorrow.”

Bibliography

1886 - Balloon theory
1890 - On the issue of flying with wings
1903 - Natural foundations of morality
1913 - Separation of man from the animal kingdom
1916 - Living conditions on other worlds
1920 - The influence of different severity on life
1921 - World disasters
1923 - The meaning of the science of matter
1926 - Simple solar heater
1927 - Conditions of biological life in the universe
1928 - Perfection of the Universe
1930 - The era of airship construction
1931 - Reversibility of chemical phenomena
1932 - Is perpetual motion possible?

SIBERIAN STATE GEODETIC ACADEMY

Institute of Geodesy and Management

Department of Astronomy and Gravimetry

Abstract on the discipline “General Astronomy”

"Tsiolkovsky. Biography and main scientific works"

Novosibirsk 2010

Introduction

1. Childhood and self-education K.E. Tsiolkovsky

2. Scientific works

3. Scientific achievements

4. Tsiolkovsky as an opponent of Einstein’s theory of relativity

5. Tsiolkovsky’s awards and perpetuation of his memory

Conclusion

List of used literature

Introduction

I chose this topic because Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky is a scientist with capital letters. His scientific works have been studied and will continue to be studied for a long time. Tsiolkovsky made a great contribution to the development of natural sciences, so such a person cannot be ignored. He is an author on aerodynamics, aeronautics and many others. Representative of Russian cosmism, member of the Russian Society of World Studies Lovers. The author of science fiction works, a supporter and propagandist of the idea of space exploration using orbital stations, put forward the idea of a space elevator. He believed that the development of life on one of the planets of the Universe would reach such power and perfection that this would make it possible to overcome the forces of gravity and spread life throughout the Universe.

Childhood and self-education K.E. Tsiolkovsky

Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky was born on September 5, 1857, in the family of a Polish nobleman who served in the department of state property, in the village of Izhevskoye near Ryazan. He was baptized in St. Nicholas Church. The name Konstantin was completely new in the Tsiolkovsky family; it was given after the name of the priest who baptized the baby.

Konstantin had a chance to live in Izhevsk for only a short time - the first three years of his life, and he had almost no memories of this period. Eduard Ignatievich (Konstantin's father) began to have troubles in his service - his superiors were dissatisfied with his liberal attitude towards local peasants. In 1860, Konstantin’s father received a transfer to Ryazan to the position of clerk of the Forestry Department, and soon began teaching natural history in the surveying and taxation classes of the Ryazan gymnasium and received a chintitular adviser.

Tsiolkovsky and his brothers’ primary education was provided to them by their mother. It was she who taught Konstantin to read (his mother only taught him the alphabet, but Tsiolkovsky himself figured out how to put words together from letters), write, and introduced him to the basics of arithmetic.

At the age of 9, Tsiolkovsky, while sledding in winter, caught a cold and fell ill with scarlet fever. As a result of complications from the illness, he lost his hearing. There came what Konstantin Eduardovich later called “the saddest, darkest time of my life.” At this time, Tsiolkovsky first began to show interest in craftsmanship.

In 1868, the Tsiolkovsky family moved to Vyatka. In 1869, together with his younger brother Ignatius, he entered the first class of the Vyatka men's gymnasium. Studying was very difficult, there were a lot of subjects, the teachers were strict. Deafness was a big problem. In the same year, sad news came from St. Petersburg - the elder brother Dmitry, who studied at the Naval School, died. This death shocked the whole family, but especially Maria Ivanovna. In 1870, Kostya’s mother, whom he loved dearly, died unexpectedly. Grief crushed the orphaned boy. Already not shining with success in his studies, oppressed by the misfortunes that befell him, Kostya studied worse and worse. He became much more acutely aware of his deafness, which made him more and more isolated. For his pranks, he was repeatedly punished and ended up in a punishment cell.

In the second grade, Tsiolkovsky stayed for the second year, and was expelled from the third. After which Konstantin Eduardovich never studied anywhere - he studied exclusively on his own. Books become the boy's only friends. Unlike gymnasium teachers, books generously endow him with knowledge and never make the slightest reproach.

At the same time, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky became involved in technical and scientific creativity. He independently made a home lathe, self-propelled carriages and locomotives. I was interested in magic tricks and was thinking about a project for a car with wings.

His son's abilities become obvious to the father, and he decides to send the boy to Moscow to continue his education. Every day from 10 am until 3 – 4 pm the young man studies science in Chertkovskaya public library- the only free library in Moscow at that time.

Work in the library was subject to a clear routine. In the morning, Konstantin studied exact and natural sciences, which required concentration and clarity of mind. Then he switched to simpler material: fiction and journalism. Actively studied “thick” magazines, where they were published as reviews science articles, and journalistic. I enthusiastically read Shakespeare, Leo Tolstoy, Turgenev, and admired the articles of Dmitry Pisarev: “Pisarev made me tremble with joy and happiness. In him I then saw my second “I.” During the first year of his life in Moscow, Tsiolkovsky studied physics and basic mathematics. In 1874, the Chertkovsky Library moved to the building of the Rumyantsev Museum. In the new reading room, Konstantin studies differential and integral calculus, higher algebra, analytical and spherical geometry. Then astronomy, mechanics, chemistry. In three years, Konstantin completely mastered the gymnasium curriculum, as well as a significant part of the university curriculum. Unfortunately, his father could no longer pay for his stay in Moscow and, moreover, was not feeling well and was preparing to retire. With the knowledge gained, Konstantin could already begin independent work in the provinces, as well as continue their education outside of Moscow. In the fall of 1876, Eduard Ignatievich called his son back to Vyatka, and Konstantin returned home.

Konstantin returned to Vyatka weak, emaciated and emaciated. Difficult living conditions in Moscow and intense work also led to deterioration of vision. After returning home, Tsiolkovsky began wearing glasses. Having regained his strength, Konstantin began giving private lessons in physics and mathematics. I learned my first lesson thanks to my father’s connections in liberal society. Having proven himself to be a talented teacher, he subsequently had no shortage of students. When teaching lessons, Tsiolkovsky used his own original methods, the main of which was a visual demonstration - Konstantin made paper models of polyhedra for geometry lessons, together with his students he conducted numerous experiments in physics lessons, which earned him the reputation of a teacher who explains the material well and clearly, and whose classes are always interesting . Everything is yours free time spent in it or in the library. I read a lot - specialized literature, fiction, journalism. According to his autobiography, at this time he read “Principia” by Isaac Newton, whose scientific views Tsiolkovsky adhered to for the rest of his life.

At the end of 1876, Konstantin's younger brother Ignatius died. The brothers were very close from childhood, Konstantin trusted Ignatius with his most intimate thoughts, and his brother’s death was a heavy blow. By 1877, Eduard Ignatievich was already very weak and ill, which affected tragic death wife and children (except for the sons Dmitry and Ignatius during these years the Tsiolkovskys lost their most youngest daughter- Catherine - she died in 1875, during the absence of Constantine), the head of the family retired. In 1878, the entire Tsiolkovsky family returned to Ryazan.

Scientific works

Tsiolkovsky's very first work was devoted to mechanics in biology. It was the article “Graphic representation of sensations” written in 1880. In it, Tsiolkovsky developed the pessimistic theory of “turbulent zero”, characteristic of him at that time, and mathematically substantiated the idea of meaninglessness human life. Tsiolkovsky sent this article to the Russian Thought magazine, but it was not published there and the manuscript was not returned. Tsiolkovsky switched to other topics.

In 1881, Tsiolkovsky wrote his first genuine scientific work, “Theories of Gases.” Tsiolkovsky independently developed the foundations of the kinetic theory of gases.

Although the article itself did not represent anything new and the conclusions in it are not entirely accurate, nevertheless, it reveals great abilities and hard work in the author, since the author was not brought up in educational institution and owes his knowledge solely to himself...

Second scientific work became the 1882 article “Mechanics is like a variable organism.”

The third work was the article “Duration of Radiation of the Sun” in 1883, in which Tsiolkovsky described the mechanism of action of the star. He considered the Sun as ideal gas ball, tried to determine the temperature and pressure at its center, the lifetime of the Sun. Tsiolkovsky used only the basic laws of mechanics and gases in his calculations.

Tsiolkovsky’s next work, “Free Space,” 1883, was written in the form of a diary. This is a kind of thought experiment, the story is told on behalf of an observer who is in free airless space and does not experience the forces of attraction and resistance. Tsiolkovsky describes the sensations of such an observer, his capabilities and limitations in movement and manipulation of various objects. He analyzes the behavior of gases and liquids in “free space”, the functioning of various devices, and the physiology of living organisms - plants and animals. The main result of this work can be considered the principle first formulated by Tsiolkovsky about the only possible method movement in “free space” - jet motion.

In 1885, Tsiolkovsky developed a balloon of his own design, which resulted in the voluminous essay “Theory and Experience of a Balloon Having an Elongated Shape in the Horizontal Direction.” It provided scientific and technical justification for the creation of a completely new and original airship design with a thin metal shell. Tsiolkovsky provided drawings of general views of the balloon and some important components of its design. The main features of the airship developed by Tsiolkovsky:

The volume of the shell was variable, which made it possible to maintain a constant lift force at different flight altitudes and temperatures atmospheric air surrounding the airship.

Tsiolkovsky avoided the use of explosive hydrogen; his airship was filled with hot air. The lifting height of the airship could be adjusted using a separately developed heating system.

The thin metal shell was also corrugated, which increased its strength and stability.

In 1887, Tsiolkovsky wrote a short story “On the Moon” - his first science fiction work. The story in many ways continues the traditions of “Free Space”, but is presented in a more artistic form and has a complete, albeit very conventional, plot. Two nameless heroes - the author and his friend - unexpectedly end up on the moon. The main and only task of the work is to describe the impressions of the observer located on its surface.

Tsiolkovsky describes the view of the sky and luminaries observed from the surface of the Moon. He analyzed in detail the consequences of low gravity, the absence of an atmosphere, and other features of the Moon (speed of rotation around the Earth and the Sun, constant orientation relative to the Earth). The story also talks about the expected behavior of gases and liquids and measuring instruments.

In the period from October 6, 1890 – May 18, 1891, based on experiments on air resistance, Tsiolkovsky wrote a large work, “On the Question of Flying with Wings.” The manuscript was handed over to A.G. Stoletov, who gave it to N.E. for review. Zhukovsky, who wrote a restrained, but quite favorable review.

In February 1894, Konstantin Eduardovich wrote the work “Airplane or bird-like (aviation) machine.” In it he gave a diagram of the aerodynamic scales he designed.

He also built a special installation that allows you to measure some aerodynamic parameters of aircraft.

The study of the aerodynamic properties of bodies of various shapes and possible designs of aircraft gradually led Tsiolkovsky to think about options for flight in airless space and the conquest of space. In 1895, his book “Dreams of Earth and Sky” was published, and a year later an article was published about other worlds, intelligent beings from other planets and the communication of earthlings with them.

In 1896, Konstantin Eduardovich began writing his main work, “Exploration of world spaces using reactive instruments.” In 1903, in the journal Scientific Review, K.E. Tsiolkovsky published this work, “in which for the first time the possibility of space flight using liquid rockets was scientifically substantiated and the basic calculation formulas for their flight were given. Konstantin Eduardovich was the first in the history of science to strictly formulated and studied the rectilinear motion of rockets as bodies of variable mass.

The discovery of K.E. Tsiolkovsky indicated the main ways to improve rockets: increasing the gas flow rate and increasing the relative fuel supply. The second part of the work “Exploration of world spaces using jet instruments” was published in 1911-1912. in the journal "Bulletin of Aeronautics". In 1914, an addition to the first and second parts of the work of the same name was published as a separate brochure published by the author. In 1926, the work “Exploration of World Spaces by Reactive Instruments” was republished with some additions and changes. A feature of the scientist’s creative method was the unity of scientific and theoretical research and analysis and development possible ways their practical implementation. K.E. Tsiolkovsky scientifically substantiated the problems associated with rocket space flight. He examined in detail everything related to the rocket (single- and multi-stage): the laws of rocket motion, the principle of its design, issues of energy, control, testing, ensuring the reliability of systems, creating acceptable habitability conditions and even selecting a psychologically compatible crew. Tsiolkovsky did not limit himself to pointing out a means of human penetration into space - a rocket, but also gave detailed description engine. His ideas about the choice of liquid two-component fuel, about regenerative cooling of the combustion chamber and engine nozzle with fuel components, ceramic insulation of structural elements, separate storage and pumping of fuel components into the combustion chamber, about control of the thrust vector by rotating the output part of the nozzle and gas rudders turned out to be prophetic. Konstantin Eduardovich also thought about the possibility of using other types of fuel, in particular, the energy of the decay of atoms. He expressed this idea in 1911. In the same year, K.E. Tsiolkovsky put forward the idea of creating electric jet engines, pointing out that “maybe, with the help of electricity, it will be possible over time to impart enormous speed to the particles ejected from the jet device.”

The scientist considered many specific questions regarding the device spaceship. In 1926, K.E. Tsiolkovsky proposed using a two-stage rocket to achieve the first cosmic speed, and in 1929, in his work “Space rocket trains" gave a coherent mathematical theory of a multi-stage rocket. In 1934-1935, in the manuscript "Fundamentals of the construction of gas machines, engines and aircraft" he proposed another way to achieve cosmic speeds, called "rocket squadrons". The scientist attached especially great importance to the problem of creating interplanetary stations. In solving this problem, he saw the possibility of fulfilling a long-standing dream of man's conquest of circumsolar space, the creation in the future of “ethereal settlements.” K.E. Tsiolkovsky outlined a grandiose plan for the conquest of world spaces, which is currently being successfully implemented.

Tsiolkovsky interplanetary rocketry aerodynamics

Scientific achievements

K.E. Tsiolkovsky claimed that he developed the theory of rocket science only as an application to his philosophical research. He wrote more than 400 works, most of which are little known to the general reader due to their dubious values.

First Scientific research Tsiolkovsky date back to 1880–1881. Not knowing about the discoveries already made, he wrote the work “Theory of Gases,” in which he outlined the foundations of the kinetic theory of gases. His second work, “Mechanics of the Animal Organism,” received a favorable review from I.M. Sechenov, and Tsiolkovsky was admitted to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society.

Tsiolkovsky's main works after 1884 were associated with four big problems: scientific justification for an all-metal balloon (airship), a streamlined airplane, a hovercraft train and a rocket for interplanetary travel.

In his apartment he created the first aerodynamic laboratory in Russia. Tsiolkovsky built the first wind tunnel in Russia with an open working part in 1897, developed an experimental technique in it, and in 1900, with a subsidy from the Academy of Sciences, made blowing of the simplest models. Determined the drag coefficient of a ball, flat plate, cylinder, cone and other bodies. Tsiolkovsky described the flow of air around bodies of various geometric shapes.

Tsiolkovsky studied the mechanics of controlled flight, as a result of which he designed a controlled balloon. Konstantin Eduardovich was the first to propose the idea of an all-metal airship and build its model. The Tsiolkovsky airship project, progressive for its time, was not supported; the author was denied a subsidy for the construction of the model.

In 1892 he turned to the new and little-explored field of heavier-than-air aircraft. Tsiolkovsky came up with the idea of building an airplane with a metal frame.

Since 1896, Tsiolkovsky systematically studied the theory of motion of jet vehicles. Thoughts about using the rocket principle in space were expressed by Tsiolkovsky back in 1883, but he outlined a strict theory of jet propulsion in 1896. Tsiolkovsky derived a formula (it was called the “Tsiolkovsky formula”) that established the relationship between:

· Rocket speed at any moment;

· Specific impulse of fuel;

The mass of the rocket at the initial and final moments of time

In 1903, he published the article “Exploration of World Spaces by Jet Instruments,” where he was the first to prove that a rocket was a device capable of space flight. In this article and its subsequent sequels (1911 and 1914), he developed some ideas about the theory of rockets and the use of liquid rocket engines.

The result of the first publication was not at all what Konstantin Eduardovich expected. Neither compatriots nor foreign scientists appreciated the research that science is proud of today. It was simply an era ahead of its time. In 1911, the second part of the work was published. Tsiolkovsky calculates the work to overcome the force of gravity, determines the speed required for the device to enter the Solar System (“second cosmic speed”) and the flight time. This time the article caused a lot of noise in the scientific world. Tsiolkovsky made many friends in the world of science.

In 1926 - 1929, Tsiolkovsky solved a practical question: how much fuel should be taken into a rocket in order to obtain the liftoff speed and leave the Earth. It turned out that the final speed of the rocket depends on the speed of the gases flowing out of it and on how many times the weight of the fuel exceeds the weight of the empty rocket.

Tsiolkovsky put forward a number of ideas that found application in rocket science. They proposed: gas rudders (made of graphite) to control the flight of the rocket and change the trajectory of its center of mass; use of fuel components for cooling outer shell spacecraft (during entry into the Earth’s atmosphere), combustion chamber walls and nozzles; pumping system for supplying fuel components; optimal descent trajectories of a spacecraft when returning from space, etc. In the field of rocket fuels, Tsiolkovsky studied a large number of different oxidizers and fuels; recommended fuel vapors; liquid oxygen with hydrogen, oxygen with carbons. Konstantin Eduardovich worked a lot and fruitfully on creating the theory of flight of jet aircraft, invented his own gas turbine engine design; in 1927 he published the theory and diagram of a hovercraft train. He was the first to propose a “bottom-retractable chassis” chassis. Space flight and airship construction were the main problems to which he devoted his life.

Tsiolkovsky defended the idea of diversity of life forms in the Universe and was the first theorist and promoter of human exploration of outer space.

Tsiolkovsky as an opponent of Einstein's theory of relativity

Tsiolkovsky was skeptical about Albert Einstein's theory of relativity.

He denied the theory of an expanding Universe on the basis of spectroscopic observations (red shift) according to E. Hubble, considering this shift to be a consequence of other reasons. In particular, he explained the red shift by the slowing down of the speed of light in the cosmic environment, caused by “the obstacle from ordinary matter scattered everywhere in space,” and pointing out the dependence: “the faster the apparent movement, the further away the nebula (galaxy).”

Regarding the limit on the speed of light according to Einstein, Tsiolkovsky wrote in the same article:

“His second conclusion: the speed cannot exceed the speed of light, that is, 300 thousand kilometers per second. These are the same six days allegedly used to create the world.”

Tsiolkovsky also denied time dilation in the theory of relativity:

“Time dilation in ships flying at sublight speed compared to earthly time represents either a fantasy or one of the latest mistakes of a non-philosophical mind. ... Time slowdown! Understand what wild nonsense is contained in these words!”

Tsiolkovsky spoke with bitterness and indignation about “multi-story hypotheses”, the foundation of which contains nothing but purely mathematical exercises, although interesting, but representing nonsense.

He stated:

“Having successfully developed and not meeting adequate resistance, senseless theories have won a temporary victory, which they, however, celebrate with unusually magnificent solemnity!”

Tsiolkovsky's awards and perpetuation of his memory

Order of St. Stanislaus, 3rd degree. For conscientious work, he was presented with an award in May 1906, issued in August.

Order of St. Anne, 3rd class. Awarded in May 1911 for conscientious work, at the request of the council of the Kaluga Diocesan Women's School.

For special services in the field of inventions of great importance for the economic power and defense of the USSR, Tsiolkovsky was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor in 1932. The award is timed to coincide with the celebration of the scientist’s 75th birthday.

On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Tsiolkovsky in 1954, the ANSSSR established gold medal them. K. E. Tsiolkovsky “3a outstanding works in the field of interplanetary communications.”

Monuments to the scientist were erected in Kaluga and Moscow; a memorial house-museum was created in Kaluga, a house-museum in Borovsk and a house-museum in Kirov (formerly Vyatka); they bear his name State Museum history of cosmonautics, pedagogical institute (now Kaluga State Pedagogical University), school in Kaluga, Moscow Aviation Technology Institute.

The crater Lunar small planet 1590 Tsiolkovskaja is named after Tsiolkovsky.

In Moscow, St. Petersburg, Lipetsk, Tyumen, Kirovea and many others settlements there are streets named after him.

In Kaluga, since 1966, Scientific Readings in memory of K. E. Tsiolkovsky have been held.

In 1991, the Academy of Cosmonautics was established. K. E. Tsiolkovsky. On June 16, 1999, the Academy was given the name “Russian”.

In the year of the 150th anniversary of the birth of K. E. Tsiolkovsky, the cargo ship “Progress M-61” was given the name “Konstantin Tsiolkovsky”, and a portrait of the scientist was placed on the head fairing. The launch took place on August 2, 2007.

In February 2008 K. E. Tsiolkovsky was awarded the public award “Symbol of Science” medal, “for creating the source of all projects for human exploration of new spaces in Space.”

Conclusion

Tsiolkovsky is the founder of the theory of interplanetary communications. His research was the first to show the possibility of reaching cosmic speeds, proving the feasibility of interplanetary flights. He was the first to study the issue of a rocket - an artificial satellite of the Earth and expressed the idea of creating near-Earth stations as artificial settlements using solar energy and intermediate bases for interplanetary communications; examined medical and biological problems arising during long-term space flights.

Konstantin Eduardovich was the first ideologist and theorist of human exploration of outer space, the ultimate goal of which seemed to him in the form of a complete restructuring of the biochemical nature of thinking beings generated by the Earth. In this regard, he put forward projects for a new organization of humanity, in which ideas are peculiarly intertwined social utopias various historical eras.

Under Soviet rule, Tsiolkovsky's living and working conditions changed radically. Tsiolkovsky was assigned a personal pension and provided with the opportunity for fruitful activity. His works contributed significantly to the development of rocket and space technology in the USSR and other countries.

List of sources used

1. Arlazorov M.S. Tsiolkovsky. The life of wonderful people.-M., “Young Guard”, 1962-320 p.

2. Demin V.I. Tsiolkovsky. The life of wonderful people.-M., “Young Guard”, 2005-336 p.

3. Alekseeva V.I. Philosophy of immortality K.E. Tsiolkovsky: origins of the system and possibilities of analysis // Journal " Social Sciences and modernity" No. 3, 2001.

4. Kazyutinsky V.V. Cosmic philosophy K.E. Tsiolkovsky: pros and cons. // “Earth and Universe” No. 4, 2003, p. 43 - 54.

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“Tsiolkovsky’s contribution to astronautics,” wrote the founder of domestic rocket engine production V.P. Glushko is immeasurably great. We can safely say: almost everything that we are doing now in this area was foreseen by a modest provincial teacher from the turn of the century.”

And here is how S.P. noted the role of Konstantin Eduardovich. Korolev: “The most remarkable, courageous and original creation of Tsiolkovsky’s creative mind is his ideas and work in the field of rocket technology. Here he has no predecessors and is far ahead of scientists from all countries and his contemporary era.”

Origin. Tsiolkovsky family

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky came from the Polish noble family of the Tsiolkovskys (Polish. Ciołkowski) coat of arms of Yastrzembets.

The first mention of the Tsiolkovskys belonging to the noble class dates back to 1697.

According to family legend, the Tsiolkovsky family traced its genealogy to the Cossack Severin Nalivaiko, the leader of the anti-feudal peasant-Cossack uprising in Ukraine in the 16th century.

Severin Nalivaiko

Answering the question of how the Cossack family became noble, Sergei Samoilovich, a researcher of Tsiolkovsky’s work and biography, suggests that Nalivaiko’s descendants were exiled to the Plotsk Voivodeship, where they became related to a noble family and adopted their surname - Tsiolkovsky; This surname allegedly came from the name of the village of Tselkovo (that is, Telyatnikovo, Polish. Ciołkowo).

It is documented that the founder of the family was a certain Maciej (Polish. Maciey, in modern Polish spelling. Maciej), who had three sons: Stanislav, Yakov (Yakub, Polish. Jakub) and Valerian, who after the death of their father became the owners of the villages of Velikoye Tselkovo, Maloe Tselkovo and Snegovo. The surviving record says that the landowners of the Płock Voivodeship, the Tsiolkovsky brothers, took part in the election of the Polish king Augustus the Strong in 1697. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky is a descendant of Yakov.

By the end of the 18th century, the Tsiolkovsky family became greatly impoverished. In conditions of deep crisis and collapse of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Hard times The Polish nobility also experienced this. In 1777, 5 years after the first partition of Poland, K. E. Tsiolkovsky’s great-grandfather Tomas (Foma) sold the Velikoye Tselkovo estate and moved to the Berdichev district of the Kiev voivodeship in Right Bank Ukraine, and then to the Zhitomir district of the Volyn province. Many subsequent representatives of the family held minor positions in the judiciary. Not having any significant privileges from their nobility, they forgot about it and their coat of arms for a long time.

On May 28, 1834, K. E. Tsiolkovsky’s grandfather, Ignatius Fomich, received certificates of “noble dignity” so that his sons, according to the laws of that time, would have the opportunity to continue their education. Thus, starting with father K. E. Tsiolkovsky, the family regained its noble title.

Parents of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

Konstantin's father, Eduard Ignatievich Tsiolkovsky (1820-1881, full name- Makar-Edward-Erasm, Makary Edward Erazm). Born in the village of Korostyanin (now Goshchansky district, Rivne region in northwestern Ukraine). In 1841 he graduated from the Forestry and Land Surveying Institute in St. Petersburg, then served as a forester in the Olonets and St. Petersburg provinces. In 1843 he was transferred to the Pronsky forestry of the Spassky district of the Ryazan province. Living in the village of Izhevsk, I met my future wife Maria Ivanovna Yumasheva (1832-1870), mother of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. Having Tatar roots, she was raised in the Russian tradition. The ancestors of Maria Ivanovna moved to the Pskov province under Ivan the Terrible. Her parents, small landed nobles, also owned a cooperage and basketry workshop. Maria Ivanovna was an educated woman: she graduated from high school, knew Latin, mathematics and other sciences. Almost immediately after the wedding in 1849, the Tsiolkovsky couple moved to the village of Izhevskoye, Spassky district, where they lived until 1860.

K.E. was born. Tsiolkovsky September 17, 1857 in the village of Izhevsky, Spassky district, Ryazan province, in the family of a forester.

He had a difficult childhood. At the age of nine, after complications from scarlet fever, he became deaf. A year later my mother died. The boy stayed with his father. Naturally very shy, after the death of his mother he became even more withdrawn into himself. The loneliness no longer left him. Deafness interfered with my studies. Therefore, after the second grade of the Vyatka gymnasium, he had to leave.

gymnasium in Vyatka

In 1873, the father, noticing technical abilities in his son, sent the 16-year-old boy to Moscow to study. However, he failed to enroll somewhere, and he continued his self-education.

Getting to know this difficult period of Moscow life young Tsiolkovsky, you never cease to be amazed at his thoroughness, systematic thinking, and amazing determination. Confirmation of this is the recognition of Tsiolkovsky himself. “I took a thorough and systematic course in elementary mathematics and physics for the first year. In the second year I took up higher mathematics. Took courses higher algebra, differential and integral calculus, analytical geometry, spherical trigonometry, etc.” And this is at 16-17 years old! With a half-starved existence. After all, the guy ate bread and potatoes. And the money that my father sent monthly was spent on books.

Three difficult years he lived in Moscow. It was necessary to decide what to do next. At his father’s request he returned to Vyatka. And again - self-education, experiments, minor inventions. In 1879, Tsiolkovsky passed the exams to become a teacher. primary school. And soon he became a mathematics teacher at a district school in the city of Borovsk.

house-museum of K.E. Tsiolkovsky in Borovsk

office-workshop K.E. Tsiolkovsky in Borovsk

August 20 - Konstantin Tsiolkovsky marries Varvara Evgrafovna Sokolova. The young couple begins to live separately and the young scientist continues his physical experiments and technical creativity. In Tsiolkovsky's house, electric lightning flashes, thunder rumbles, bells ring, paper dolls dance. Visitors were also amazed at the “electric octopus,” which grabbed everyone’s nose or fingers with its legs, and then the hair of those caught in its “paws” stood on end and sparks jumped out from any part of the body. A rubber bag was inflated with hydrogen and carefully balanced using a paper boat with sand. As if alive, he wandered from room to room, following the air currents, rising and falling.

K.Ya. Tsiolkovsky with his family

And after 12 years of living in Borovsk, he moved to Kaluga.

In this city he lived the rest of his life, where he wrote his main works and made his greatest discoveries.

house-museum of K.E. Tsiolkovsky in Kaluga

Also in teenage years he has a thought: is it possible for a person to rise into the stratosphere? He is thinking about an aircraft for such a flight and for several years has been creating a controllable all-metal airship.

Model of a balloon shell made of corrugated metal(house-museum of K.E. Tsiolkovsky in Borovsk)

Their theoretical justifications and Tsiolkovsky publishes calculations in the book “Controllable Metal Balloon,” which was published in 1892. This work contained many valuable thoughts.

First of all, it was valuable for one important discovery: the scientist was the first to develop a device and a regulator for the stable direction of the axis, that is, the prototype of a modern autopilot.

Konstantin Eduardovich was and for a long time remained a staunch supporter of the all-metal balloon. Mistaken about the superior prospects of airships over heavier-than-air vehicles, he nevertheless studied the theory of the aircraft. In 1894, he wrote the article “Airplane, or Bird-like (aviation) flying machine.” He is interested in everything connected with the airplane: what is the role of speed for it and what engines can give it speed; what should be the flight control rudders and the most advantageous shapes of the aircraft. “We need to give the apparatus,” he wrote, “the sharpest and smoothest possible shape (like birds and fish) and not give the wings too much large sizes so as not to excessively increase friction and resistance of the medium.”

Since 1896, he has been seriously studying the theory of jet propulsion. “For a long time,” the scientist recalled, “I looked at the rocket like everyone else: from the point of view of entertainment and small applications. I don’t remember well how it occurred to me to make calculations related to the rocket. It seems to me that the first seeds - thoughts - were conceived by the famous dreamer Jules Verne, he awakened the work of my brain.”
So, a rocket. Why did the scientist take up this issue? Yes, because, according to Tsiolkovsky, she is destined to overcome the gravity of the Earth and escape into space. After all, neither an airship, nor an artillery shell, nor an airplane can do this. Only a rocket can provide the speed necessary to break Earth's gravity. It also solves another problem: rocket fuel. Powder? No. Too much of it would be required to travel into interplanetary space. And how would this negatively affect the weight of the spacecraft. What if gunpowder is replaced with liquid fuel?

After painstaking calculations and formulas, the conclusion: for space flights we need engines with liquid fuel... He outlined all this in his work “Exploration of World Spaces with Reactive Instruments,” published in 1903. By the way, the scientist not only outlined theoretical basis rocket, not only substantiated the possibility of its use for interplanetary communications, but also described this rocket ship: “Let’s imagine such a projectile: a metal oblong chamber (the form of least resistance), equipped with light, oxygen, an absorber of carbon dioxide, miasma and other animal secretions, designed not only for storing various physical devices, but also for the camera manager intelligent being. The chamber has a large supply of substances, which, when mixed, immediately form an explosive mass. These substances, exploding correctly and fairly evenly in a specific place, flow in the form of hot gases through pipes that expand towards the end, like a horn or wind pipe. musical instrument" The fuel was hydrogen, and the oxidizing agent was liquid oxygen. The rocket was controlled by gas graphite rudders.

Years later, he returns again and again to his work “Exploration of world spaces using jet instruments.” Publishes its second and third parts. In them, he further develops his theoretical views on the use of rockets for interplanetary flights and rethinks what he had written earlier. The scientist reaffirms: only a rocket is suitable for space flight. Moreover, the spaceship-rocket must be placed on another rocket, an earthly one, or embedded in it. The terrestrial rocket, without leaving the surface, gives it the desired takeoff. In other words, Tsiolkovsky put forward the idea of space rocket trains.

Composite rockets were proposed before Tsiolkovsky. He was the first to mathematically accurately and in detail study the problem of achieving high cosmic velocities using rockets, and substantiated the reality of its solution given the existing level of technology. This idea is today implemented in multi-stage space launch vehicles.

Tsiolkovsky’s bold, daring flight of thoughts was mistaken by many around him for the delirium of an unbalanced mind. Of course, he had friends N.E. Zhukovsky, D.I. Mendeleev, A.G. Stoletov and others. They passionately supported the scientist's ideas. But these were only individual voices that were drowning in a sea of mistrust, hostility and mockery official representatives scientific circles of that time. The smartest man Konstantin Eduardovich deeply experienced this attitude towards him.

The theory of jet propulsion was also developed by Tsiolkovsky’s contemporaries, foreign scientists - the Frenchman Esnault-Peltry, the German Gobert and others. They published their works in 1913-1923, that is, much later than Konstantin Eduardovich.

In the 1920s, reports appeared in European publications about the works of Hermann Oberth. In them, he came to similar conclusions as Tsiolkovsky, but much later. Nevertheless, his articles did not even mention the name of the Russian scientist.

Robert Albert Charles Esnault-Peltry Hermann Julius Oberth

Chairman of the Association of Naturalists Professor A.P. Modestov spoke in print in defense of Tsiolkovsky's priority. He named the works of Konstantin Eduardovich, published earlier than the works of foreign colleagues, and cited reviews of famous domestic scientists on the works of Tsiolkovsky. “By printing these certificates, the Presidium of the All-Russian Association of Naturalists has the goal of restoring Tsiolkovsky’s priority in developing the issue of a jet device (rocket) for extra-atmospheric and interplanetary spaces.” And when it came out next year A new book Tsiolkovsky’s “Rocket in Outer Space”, Obert, having read it, wrote to him: “You have lit a fire, and we will not let it go out, but we will make every effort to make the great dream of mankind come true.”

The priority of the Russian scientist was also recognized by the German Society for Interplanetary Communications. On the day of Konstantin Eduardovich’s 75th birthday, the Germans addressed him with greetings. “From the day of its foundation, the Society for Interplanetary Communications has always considered you one of its spiritual leaders and has never missed an opportunity to point out, verbally and in print, your high merits and your undeniable priority in scientific development our great idea."

family of K.E. Tsiolkovsky in Kaluga

Of course, Tsiolkovsky’s contribution to space science is colossal. But Konstantin Eduardovich’s letters, his support, approval, and attention were very important for young scientists, designers, engineers. Among those aspiring designers supported by the great scientist was the young S.P. Korolev. He visited Tsiolkovsky, talked with him for a long time, listened to his advice. It was the meeting with Tsiolkovsky, according to Korolev, that played a decisive role in the direction of his activities.

Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky and Sergei Pavlovich Korolev

On September 19, 1935, Tsiolkovsky passed away. They called him a dreamer. Yes, he was a dreamer in the highest sense of the word. Many of his dreams have already come true, many will certainly become reality in the future.

When talking about Tsiolkovsky’s contribution to space science, we regularly use the word first. He was the first to substantiate the possibility of providing a rocket with escape velocity, and the first to solve the problem of landing a spacecraft on the surface of atmosphereless planets. He was the first scientist to put forward the idea of an artificial Earth satellite.

Tsiolkovsky left more than 450 manuscripts of scientific, popular science and educational works, thousands of letters to his colleagues and like-minded people, some of which he hoped to publish. His legacy is invaluable. Not everything from Konstantin Eduardovich’s archive has been published to this day. According to experts, only one third of the archive has been studied.