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First, lifetime edition of the main work of Konstantin Eduardovich
Tsiolkovsky, devoted to the theory of reactive motion, where he has
deduced the equation of movement of a rocket, as a body with variable
mass, has stated ideas about automatic control of flight with the help
of gyroscopic device, about an opportunity of using of a solar beams
for orientation of a rocket, he predicted the phenomenon of
weightlessness, substantiated an idea of creations of earth orbiting
stations, theoretically proved an opportunity of interplanetary
flights with the help of a rocket. As early as 1897, Tsiolkovsky set
forth his famous formula. It determined a dependence between rocket
speed at any moment, velocity of flow of gases through a nozzle, mass
of the rocket and mass of an explosive substance. As early as 1898, he
finalized his work «Issledovanie mirovykh prostranstv reaktivnymi
 priborami» ("A Study of Atmospheric Space Using Reactive Devices»)
where he proved mathematically a possibility of gaining orbital
velocity. Russian scientist as far back as 1903 proposed to utilize a
liquid reactive engine consuming hydrogen and oxygen for a space fight
instead of a primitive gunpowder-rocket. The earliest foreign
publication on this theme appeared in France after 10 years in 1913,
in Germany-after 20 years….though von Brown was the first, who
achieved real practical results in 1943, having created a super rocket
FAU-2, the fact that does not depreciate merits of Konstantin
Eduardovich. The most important scientific achievements of Tsiolkovsky
K.E. are attributed to the theory of the motion of the rockets and
reactive devices. For a long time he, as well as his contemporaries,
did not attach importance to the rockets, regarding them as a matter
of an amusement and entertainment. But at the end of the nineteenth
centuries Tsiolkovsky K.E. began theoretical development of this
issue. In the beginning of 1903, Tsiolkovsky directed the first part
of the whole fundamental work to the editor of the magazine "Naychnoje
obozrenije" ("The Scientific Review") Philippov Mikhail Mikhailovich.
The author had complicated relationship with Philippov: shortly before
that time, Konstantin Eduardovich had written the brochure "Grjozy o
zemle I nebe" ("Dreams about the Earth and Sky"), printed and funded
by patron Goncharov A. of Kaluga city, which at once was honored with
the review in the magazine "The Scientific Review". The reviewer did
not put his signature and only due to that fact did not make it into
history. Let us get a grasp: "The analyzed book makes rather strange
impression. It is difficult to guess, where the author’s reasons are
serious, and where he dreams or even jokes. If the scientific
explanations of Tsiolkovsky K. are not always substantiated enough,
then the flight of his imagination is positively uncontrollable, and
some times, even leave behind fantasies of Jul Vern, in which, anyway,
there is more scientific substantiation..."
For the author the review was slightly insulting, but he found forces,
and the main work has directed to the same editorship, where such
names as Mendeleyev D.I., Bekhterev V.M., Darwin С., Gelmgoltz G. and
Plekhanov G.V. were published. They all were united on pages of the
magazine by the progressively publisher Philippov M.M. – a sociologist
and economist, philologist and historian, author of the novel "Osazhdenniy
Sevastopol"("Besieged Sevastopol") and a mysterious physical discovery
disputable up to now.
June 11, 1903 the newspaper "Russkie Vedomosti" («The Russian
Bulletin») received the letter from Philippov about his invention of
electrical transfer of explosion blast wave on a distance of thousand
kilometers.
"This method is amazingly simple and cheap, - was written there, - the
details I shall publish in the memoirs of the Academy of Science ". In
а day Philippov М.М. perished under mysterious circumstances. His
records vanished without any trace.
In the latest release of the magazine "The Scientific Review", which
the editor managed to sign, the materials titled «Zavetnye Мisly»
(«Treasured Ideas") of Mendeleyev D. and the first part of "Issledovanie
mirovykh prostranstv…..» («A Study of Atmospheric Space….») of Tsiolkovsky K. were published. In 1903, the 5-th release of the
magazine "The Scientific Review" with his article "Issledovanie
mirovykh prostranstv reaktivnymi priborami» («A Study of Atmospheric
Space Using Reactive Devices») Part I,
appeared. It contained the theory substantiating of a rocket flight
and the opportunity for application of jet devices for the
interplanetary travel. The last release, which subsequently was
confiscated, became an absolute rarity. Subtitles of the part I:
1. Reactive device-a "rocket"
2. Advantages of a rocket
3. Rocket under force of weight. Vertical elevation
4. Environment of weight (gravity). Steep return to the Earth
5. Environment of weight (gravity). Inclined elevation.
The scientist had to undergo long toils with the publication of his
scientific work in full. Actually, also Philippov complained to him,
that the censorship hardly permitted to publish the first part of the
manuscript. Some years ago, «Literaturnaja Gazeta» ("The Literary
Newspaper") issued memories of the publisher's son -.Philippov B.М.,
where it is said: "None of the reasons of my father about huge
scientific significance of Tsiolkovsky’s work benefited. Then Mikhail
Mikhailovich has decided to confer with his friend and teacher
Mendeleyev D.I., who actively participated in activities of "The
Scientific Review ". Having acquainted with the work of Konstantin
Eduardovich and having listened to the appeals of the editor against
censorial despotism, Mendeleyev has told him: "Well, certainly, the
censor remains the censor. He receives the salary not for the
permissions, but for the prohibitions. But, I give you an advice not
as a chemist, but as a diplomat. Narrow down all your reasons in
protecting of Tsiolkovsky to fireworks. Prove to them, that, as far as
the rockets are concerned, it is very important thing for the solemn
holidays in the honour of the Name Day of Monarch and "royal persons".
Let them forbid to publish your article then ". My father followed
this advice and, trying to be serious, set forth these reasons to the
most zealous censor – Elagin A. The permission was received by May 31,
1903 ". But against what was the censorship? Indeed the work of Tsiolkovsky was a scientific one. Wasn’t it clear, that Darwin’s
scientific work titled "The Origin of Species by Means of Natural
Selection" and forbidden by censorship for it’s "distinguishing
materialistic character" was a scientific one?!
In those times, a novel of Jul Vern «Travel to the Center of the
Earth» was withdrawn from the funds of educational libraries by the
special order of the curator of the Moscow educational district. And
here is suddenly a story about an opportunity of flight into the outer
space – a direct intrusion in the holy of holies and patrimony of God.
The gendarmes confiscated from the study of Philippov M.M. together
with his own documents also the second part of scientific work of
Tsiolkovsky. Konstantin Eduardovich attempted to receive the
manuscript back, but it was in vain. He didn’t manage to receive also
a certain number of reprints of the first part due to him, which the
editor used to pay off with the author. "The reprints (special), as it
was evident, were confiscated, - wrote the scientist to Vorobev B.N.,
the editor and publisher of the magazine "Vestnik Vozdukhoplavanija"
("The Bulletin of Aeronautics"). I could not receive them even for
money from the printing office, and they refused to speak with me
about them, though they, undoubtedly, were inside of this printing
office, according to the employees’ words ".
A sole copy of the publication, belonging to the author, was kept
safe, which was bound carefully by him and supplied with an
inscription: "I request to keep it as an apple of the eye for it is a
single copy torn by me out of the magazine of Tsiolkovsky K.". Days,
weeks, months, years have passed. Tsiolkovsky hardly accepted the
fact, that his fundamental job remained unnoticed in scientific
circles of Russia and foreign countries. He had been suppressing an
irritation inside for a long time, until the moment, when the
information was published in the magazine "Illustrirovannye Birzhevie
Vedomosti" ("The Illustrated Stock-Exchange Journal"), that а combat
rocket was invented and constructed in America.
The article has excited and disturbed the author of the work "A Study
of Atmospheric Space Using Reactive Devices»". "This telegram has
suggested me sorrowful ideas, - was written by Tsiolkovsky to the
editor of the newspaper - I ask permission to share my ideas with the
readers due of their instructiveness. In fact, two years back... my
mathematical work appeared… The theory actually set forward an idea of
a huge rocket lifting the people and even transporting them, under
certain conditions, to the Moon and other celestial bodies.
And now the universal sharks (as Edison identifies the thieves of
someone else's ideas) have already confirmed my ideas in part, and,
wellaway, already managed apply them to the destructive purposes. I
never worked towards improving ways of conducting war. It contradicts
my Christian spirit. Working over reactive devices, I had peaceful and
high goals: to win the universe for the sake of the humanity, to win
space and energy emanated by the sun.
But why you, wise men, advocates of truth and welfare, have not backed
me up? Why my works were not analyzed and tested, why didn’t you pay
attention to them? The instruments of devastation entertain you, but
instruments of the welfare-not. When it will be over, the negligence
of ideas, the negligence of sublime facts? If I am not right in this
great, then prove it to me, and if I am right, why do you not listen
to me?.. The society loses an abyss from it... The sharks dispose and
present whatever they want and how they want to: exploration of space
- the battle shells, instead of truth-assassination... ". Fortunately,
the message from the United States about "the phenomenon weapon" has
appeared to be an ordinary newspaper "fake". The first rocket has not
been constructed in America then. Isn't the pathos of Tsiolkovsky less
justified due to this? Merely in eight years after the theory of a
rocket had been published for the first time, it became possible to
him to publish a brief article – "Reaktivnij pribor kak sredstvo
poljeta v pustote i atmosphere" ("Reactive Instrument as a Mean of
Flying in Void Space and Atmosphere"). It was only a sketchy resume of
that part of the vast work issued in the magazine
"The Scientific Review". And what about it’s continuation? Another
year had passed since a postman brought a letter to Korovinskaja
ulitsa, Kaluga, where Tsiolkovsky lived, which agitated him. Vorobev
B.N., the editor of the Petersburg magazine "The Bulletin of
Aeronautics" asked: on what theme would Konstantin Eduardovich like to
write an article for his magazine? Tsiolkovsky did not deliberate for
a second. In contrast to the magazine "The Scientific Review", the
magazine "The Bulletin of Aeronautics" was an extremely abundant and
broad public tribune. Indeed, he could not neglect a possibility to
propagandize his ideas of conquering space from this tribune. "I have
elaborated some phases of the subject concerning flying into space
with the help of the reactive instrument, similar to the rocket, - Tsiolkovsky wrote to the editor of the magazine, - mathematical
deductions grounded on the scientific data and verified many times
point to a possibility of rising with the help of such instruments to
the celestial space, and probably, - to found settlements outside a
terrestrial atmosphere.. ". Responding to the magazine "The Bulletin
of Aeronautics", Konstantin Eduardovich made a proposal of publishing
of his second part of the work. Could such a proposal be of any
interest for the editors? Surely, yes. In fact, the publication of
Tsiolkovsky's work from one issue to another attracted attention of
the readers and promised moral and commercial success to the editors
of the magazine, because those publications finalized each time on the
most interesting places with the traditional post-scriptum: «To be
continued». The magazine, giving a vast work of Tsiolkovsky for the
readers’ judgment, premised a rather cautious reservation to him:
«Hereinafter, we present rather interesting work of Tsiolkovsky K.E.,
one of the prominent theorists of aeronautics in Russia, dedicated to
a problem of reactive devices and flying in the atmosphere-free
environment. The author himself specifies the immensity of ideas
developed by him, which not only far from realization, but not
embodied yet even in more or less concrete forms. The mathematical
calculations, on which the author founds the further conclusions, give
a clear picture of theoretical implementation of the idea. But
difficulties, which are inevitable and huge under those unusual and
unknown conditions, in which the author strives to penetrate in his
research work, allow us only mentally to follow the author’s
arguments".
Subtitles of part II:
1. Reactive device "Rocket" of Tsiolkovsky K.E.
2. Resistance of an atmosphere.
3. Figure of flight.
4. Round about the Earth.
5 Curve motions of a shell and it’s speed. Ballistics.
6. Means of existence during the flight.
7. Rescue from gaining weight.
8 Counteracting the absence of weight.
9. Dream. Future of reactive devices.
10. An impossible today becomes possible tomorrow.
11. The disasters waiting the Earth, will be eliminated by the
reactive device.
The overextension of the publication (the work was printed starting
from 19-th issue of 1911 until 9-th issue of 1912) caused
inconvenience in reading and perception of Tsiolkovsky's ideas.
But such trivialities have not prevented remarkable plans to find
their way to the readers.
Having shortly reminded about conclusions of 1903, Tsiolkovsky
completely opens an unknown
area of knowledge. A war is announced to force of gravitation, and
consequently Konstantin Eduardovich hurries to present an invisible,
but menacing antagonist to the readers. Is it possible, that this
force is indeed invincible? The gravitation seems to Tsiolkovsky as a
wall isolating our planet. The wall is solid-a huge hollow sphere of
darkness, which has doomed mankind on eternal imprisonment. But even
the most solid walls can be ruined, when intellect, knowledge and
energy are consolidated for an assault. "Overcome this wall, make a
breach in this imperceptible atmosphere of equal density,- appealed
Tsiolkovsky, - and gravity shall be defeated throughout its endless
extent". Formulas and calculations of Tsiolkovsky serve like a
gigantic battering-ram, which he grants to people. The invincible
barrier will collapse under the strokes. Konstantin Eduardovich
calculates project on overcoming of gravitation forces of the planet,
defines speed necessary for flight of the space the travelers,
calculates time of flight.
For the first time in the scientific literature, an immense picture of
future interplanetary travel is extremely bravely described. And it is
not a literary sketch: Tsiolkovsky deploys scientifically justified
and strictly logical plan of the conquest of outer space. The
publication for almost a year has been continuously issued in each
number. It didn’t help the readers, on the contrary, as Tikhonravov
M.K., a veteran of the Soviet rocket and missile engineering pointed
out, it complicated reading and perception the revolutionary ideas of
the scientist. A printed monography, a book was necessary. But,
however, there was no book. And still " the resonance has turned out
grate, - Vorobev B.N., the editor of the magazine "The Bulletin of
Aeronautics", recollected, - responded both scientific and technical
and popular magazines, and common press, and the inventors. The
numerous writers put forward the designs of jet airplanes
constructions, popularized the idea of Tsiolkovsky of possibility to
conquer space, escaping the limits of the air envelope of the Earth,
as a result of this,
 they also romanced about complete transformation
of human society structure".The industrial engineer Rumin V. in 1912
wrote in the 36-th issue of the magazine " Priroda i ludi" ("A Nature
and People"): Tsiolkovsky is a genius opening to future generations a
way to the stars. It is necessary to scream about him! His ideas have
to become a property probably of wider readers masses". Who will
publish the scientist's work as a separate book? This question
remained without an answer, and then the author himself launched an
appeal to his future readers: "Those, who is interested in reactive
devices for extraterrestrial travels and in taking participation in my
works, who wants to continue my cause, to evaluate it and generally
promote it, they must anyway study my works, which are difficult to
find now: even I possess only one copy. That is why I wish to publish
completely with supplementary materials my work ."Issledovanie
mirovykh prostranstv reaktivnymi priborami»
("A Study of Atmospheric Space Using Reactive Devices"). Let the
people, intending to obtain this work, inform of their addresses. In
case there will be enough addresses, then I will make a publication
taking into account , that each copy (6-7 publication base sheets)
should not exceed a rouble. I warn that this publication is a serious
one, and it contains a large amount of formulas, calculations and
tables. For closer contact with people , who sympathizes my work, I
give them my address: Kaluga…". Evidently, Konstantin Eduardovich
didn’t receive such financial support he relied on. Then, at his own
expense, he issues a small brochure containing only supplements to the
first and second parts of his fundamental work previously published.
In 1923, nine years after that event occurred, Tsiolkovsky K.E.
decided to issue a separate brochure containing I-st part of his
famous work "Raketa v kosmicheskoe prostranstvo" ("Rocket into the
Outer Space") published 20 years ago with circulation of 1000 copies,
herewith, a title-page is dated as of 1924, and in 1926 the work was
published completely with the subtitle: "Pereizdanie rabot 1903 i
1911g.g. s nekotorimi izmenenijami i dopolnenijami" ("Reprint of Works
of 1903 and 1911 with some Amendments and Supplements"). Besides, an
extract of the book "Dreams about the Earth and Sky" was included
there. The copy of the 3-d part, kept in the State Museum of
Cosmonautics, has been preserved during the space flight, this fact is
certified on the book cover by the autographs of the Soviet (Russian)
and American participants of the program "Souz"-"Apollo"! ….When Urij
Alekseevich Gagarin had a meeting with the foreign correspondents
after his flight, he was naturally asked, if there was anything
absolutely unexpected in the space? The response was fast and
synonymous: "Factors of the space flight had been described
terrifically, and those factors I met, slightly differed from his
description".
Bibliography:
1. Ludi russkoj nauki (People of the Russian Science), vol.2 , M-L,
State Edition, pages 1039-1046
2. Knizhnie sokrovischa mira (Biblio Treasures of the World). From the
funds of the Russian State Library, Moscow, publishing house "Knizhnaja
Palata", 1989, pages 110-119.
3. Knizhnie sokrovischa GBL (Biblio Treasures of the Lenin State
Library), section of rear books, 3-d edition, Moscow, 1980, №85. Only
3-d part is referred and written, that this work became a
bibliographic rarity, when the author was alive.
4. "Dictionary of scientific biography" (famous DSB), appearance of
the I-st part was only mentioned in passing: vol. XIII, New York,
1976, page 483.
5. Glukhov A.G., "Knigi pronizivajuschie veka" ("Books that Running
through the Centuries"), Moscow, publishing house "Kniga", 1973, pages
162-176. |
