Konstantin Tsiolkovsky – one who sets major goals – in the Presidential Library’s collections

In time for the Day of Cosmonautics, the Presidential Library presents unique books and studies by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. They describe from different angles the work and personality of this outstanding scientist, the founder of modern astronautics.

The "Open Space" collection containing publications on the life and work of the famous Russian inventor and scientist, his numerous studies and works is openly accessible to public at large on the Presidential Library’s website.

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky is better known as the Russian and Soviet scientist, a researcher who made a number of major discoveries in aerodynamics, rocketry, and the theory of interplanetary travel. He was the first in the world to formulate the principle of a jet engine, recognized the need to use "missile trains" - the prototypes of multi-stage rockets.

But there is another side to his life. Few people today can imagine Tsiolkovsky as a theorist and philosopher, often lonely in his ideas and opinions.

Long life of the Tsiolkovsky was not strewn with laurels and roses. Deafness as a result of childhood scarlet fever deprived him of opportunity to get schooling. However, this weakness contributed to the tendency of Tsiolkovsky to focus, to make his imagination work. He limited himself to home schooling. "I had no teachers, except for a small number of books of questionable quality. I can be considered a complete self-taught," he told about himself.

However, by the age of 17, he completed on his own a course of differential and integral calculus, and studied analytical mechanics. At the age of 22, he already made a living by giving private lessons. He passed examinations without attending lectures and was authorized to teach mathematics. All his free time he devoted to experiments and scientific papers on physics and astronomy.

Interesting facts about the scientist can be found in the rare book, "Tsiolkovsky: his life, inventions and scientific works," published on the 75th anniversary of the scientist in 1932. Its author Ya. I. Perelman (1882 - 1942), who had had a friendly correspondence with Tsiolkovsky for almost two decades, tried to show the main stages of life of a scientist, to describe the scope of his scientific work and to explain the significance of his major inventions.

The author writes that "Tsiolkovsky was one of those exceptional minds, whose creative forces set major goals. He is attracted by the extreme heights of thought, offering vistas of time and space." Indeed, the original mind of the scientist suggested him new ways, not yet tested by anyone. In his major achievements he had no predecessors, being many years ahead of not only the West, but in many ways – of the future.

An airplane, an airship and a rocket - these were the three main challenges of Tsiolkovsky. All his life, according to the scientist, consisted of thoughts, calculations, practical works and experiments. "I dreamed that my work would advance a bit the mankind," said Tsiolkovsky in a letter to Stalin in 1935.

Tsiolkovsky became really famous owing to his research works on the scientific substantiation of the idea of atmospheric flight. Unique materials about them, that were previously "closed", are now available on the Presidential Library’s website.

Tsiolkovsky first proposed the idea to communicate with the world space in his "Dreams of Earth and Sky" in 1895. More precisely and definitely Tsiolkovsky talks about this in the 1903 "Study of outer space by rocket appliances." In this work he reveals the principle of theoretical possibility to move in space devoid of air. This principle is the principle of a rocket that goes up due to mutual repulsion in the opposite directions of the gas emitted gas by the rocket in internal walls of a pipe...

Many studies and theories of Tsiolkovsky have not yet been implemented. His thoughts and dreams of the future interplanetary travel Tsiolkovsky presented in the novel "Beyond Earth" in 1920. He described flying on rockets in 2017 and living conditions in the space around the earth. He believed that mankind would conquer the world of planets, and perhaps the world of stars too.

In his studies the author of works which were scientifically proved, but still seemed fantastic, a supporter and advocate of the ideas of space exploration, offered to occupy space with the space stations, put forward the idea of a space elevator, of hovercrafts, and of overcoming the force of gravity in order to extend the life in the universe.

Tsiolkovsky was not just a great scientist and inventor. He burned with a special love for a human, searching for new ways for the mankind, for a new radiant future. And the struggle for aeronautics, aviation, space rocket was for him only one of the ways to create a new human society.

Tsiolkovsky proved himself in a new way, as a philosopher and thinker, in such studies as "Loving yourself, or a true self-love", "Universal alphabet, spelling and language" and many others, written in the late 1920’s. In these works, he expressed interesting thoughts on various issues of concern to humanity.

Tsiolkovsky ponders over the meaning of a "true self-love" and how to distinguish it from egoism, over what is "good and what is bad". What can we rely upon in our lives and what should we recognize correct? In his opinion, "we can rely only on the knowledge of the universe. Other sources of knowledge do not exist."

The founder of the world's cosmonautics says that "everyone should be imbued with the highest ideas, leading all people to happiness and perfection," expresses the idea of "brotherhood and unity of all peoples." In order for people to better understand each other, Tsiolkovsky proposes to make all world's languages "available for learning" as much as possible, presents his project of an international language.

To date, the Presidential Library’s holdings include 240,000 units. Among them are digital copies of historical and current documents, photographs, audio and video records. The major tasks of the library are the formation of national repository of digital books and documents on the history and development of Russian statehood, on prominent scientists and historical figures that influenced the course of development of Russia, and to ensure the widest possible access to these informational digital resources.