Abstract: Tsiolkovsky. Biography and main scientific works. Interesting facts about Konstantin Tsiolkovsky K E Tsiolkovsky years of his life
Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky was born in the village of Izhevskoye, which was located in the Spassky district of the Ryazan Province, in 1857 on September 5. He was a great Soviet scientist, researcher and inventor in the field of rocket and aerodynamics, as well as the main founder of modern cosmonautics.
As you know, Konstantin Eduardovich was a child in a family of ordinary foresters, and in childhood, due to scarlet fever, he almost completely lost his hearing. This fact became the reason that the great scientist was unable to continue studying in high school, and he had to switch to independent study. During his youth, Tsiolkovsky lived in Moscow, and there he studied mathematical sciences according to the higher school program. In 1879, he successfully passed all the exams, and the next year he was appointed teacher of geometry and arithmetic at the Borovsky School, located in the Kaluga province.
It dates back to this time greatest number scientific research of Konstantin Eduardovich, which was noted by such an encyclopedist and physiologist as Ivan Mikhailovich Sechenov, which was the reason for Tsiolkovsky’s acceptance into the Russian physicochemical community. Almost all of the works of this great inventor were devoted to jet vehicles, airplanes, airships, and many other aerodynamic studies.
It is worth especially noting that it was Konstantin Eduardovich who came up with a completely new idea for those times of building an airplane with a metal skin and frame. In addition, in 1898, Tsiolkovsky became the first Russian citizen to independently develop and build a wind tunnel, which later began to be used in many flying machines.
The passion to understand the sky and space prompted Konstantin Eduardovich to write more than four hundred works, which are known only to a small circle of his admirers.
Among other things, thanks to the unique and thoughtful proposals of this great researcher, today almost all military artillery uses trestles to launch multiple rocket launchers. In addition, it was Tsiolkovsky who thought of a way to refuel missiles during their actual flight.
Konstantin Eduardovich had four children: Lyubov, Ignatius, Alexander and Ivan.
In 1932, Tsiolkovsky was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, and in 1954, on the occasion of the centenary, a medal was named after him, which was awarded to scientists for special works in the field of interplanetary communications.
Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky (Polish: Konstanty Ciołkowski) (5 (17) September 1857, Izhevskoye, Ryazan province, Russian empire- September 19, 1935, Kaluga, USSR). Russian and Soviet self-taught scientist and inventor, school teacher. Founder of theoretical cosmonautics.
Tsiolkovsky justified the use of rockets for space flights and came to the conclusion about the need to use “rocket trains” - prototypes of multi-stage rockets. His main scientific works relate to aeronautics, rocket dynamics and astronautics.
Representative of Russian cosmism, member of the Russian Society of World Studies Lovers.
Tsiolkovsky proposed populating outer space using orbital stations, put forward the ideas of a space elevator and hovercraft. 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.
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky came from the Polish noble family of the Tsiolkovskys (Polish: Ciołkowski) of the Yastrzembets coat of arms. The first mention of the Tsiolkovskys belonging to 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 the Russian lands of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1594-1596.
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 supposedly came from the name of the village of Tselkovo (that is, Telyatnikovo, Polish Ciołkowo).
However, modern research does not confirm this legend. The genealogy of the Tsiolkovskys was restored approximately to the middle of the 17th century; their relationship with Nalivaiko has not been established and is only in the nature of a family legend. Obviously, this legend appealed to Konstantin Eduardovich himself - in fact, it is known only from himself (from autobiographical notes). In addition, in the copy of the Brockhaus and Efron encyclopedic dictionary that belonged to the scientist, the article “Nalivaiko” is crossed out with a charcoal pencil - this is how Tsiolkovsky marked the most interesting places in the books for himself.
It is documented that the founder of the family was a certain Maciey (Polish Maciey, in modern spelling Polish Maciej), who had three sons: Stanislav, Jacob (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, the Polish nobility also experienced difficult times.
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 Kyiv 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.
Konstantin's father Eduard Ignatievich Tsiolkovsky (1820-1881, full name- Makar-Edward-Erasm, Makary Edward Erazm). Born in the village of Korostyanin (now Malinovka, 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, he met his 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.
Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky was born on September 5 (17), 1857 in the village of Izhevsk near Ryazan. He was baptized in St. Nicholas Church. The name Konstantin was completely new in the Tsiolkovsky family; it was given by the name of the priest who baptized the baby.
At the age of nine, Kostya, while sledding at the beginning of winter, caught a cold and fell ill with scarlet fever. As a result of complications after a serious illness, he partially lost his hearing. Then came what Konstantin Eduardovich later called “the saddest, most dark time of my life". Hearing loss deprived the boy of many childhood fun and experiences familiar to his healthy peers. At this time, Kostya first begins to show interest in craftsmanship. “I liked to make doll skates, houses, sleds, clocks with weights, etc. All this was made of paper and cardboard and joined with sealing wax.”, he will write later.
In 1868, the surveying and taxation classes were closed, and Eduard Ignatievich again lost his job. The next move was to Vyatka, where there was a large Polish community and the father of the family had two brothers, who probably helped him get the position of head of the Forestry Department.
During their life in Vyatka, the Tsiolkovsky family changed several apartments. For the last 5 years (from 1873 to 1878) they lived in the wing of the Shuravin merchants' estate on Preobrazhenskaya Street.
In 1869, Kostya, together with his younger brother Ignatius, 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: “I didn’t hear the teachers at all or heard only vague sounds”.
In a letter on August 30, 1890, Tsiolkovsky wrote: “Once again I ask you, Dmitry Ivanovich, to take my work under your protection. The oppression of circumstances, deafness from the age of ten, resulting ignorance of life and people, and others unfavourable conditions“I hope they will excuse my weakness in your eyes.”.
In the same year, sad news came from St. Petersburg - the elder brother Dmitry, who studied at Maritime School. 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 hampered his studies at school and made him more and more isolated. For pranks, he was repeatedly punished and ended up in a punishment cell.
In the second grade, Kostya remained for the second year, and from the third (in 1873) he was expelled with a reference “for admission to a technical school”. After that, Konstantin never studied anywhere - he studied exclusively on his own. During these classes, he used his father's small library (which contained books on science and mathematics). Unlike gymnasium teachers, books generously endowed him with knowledge and never made the slightest reproach.
At the same time, Kostya became involved in technical and scientific creativity. He independently made an astrolabe (the first distance it measured was to a fire tower), a home lathe, self-propelled carriages and locomotives. The devices were driven by spiral springs, which Konstantin extracted from old crinolines bought at the market.
He was fond of magic tricks and made various boxes in which objects appeared and disappeared. Experiments with paper model balloon filled with hydrogen ended in failure, but Konstantin does not despair, continues to work on the model, and is thinking about a project for a car with wings.
Believing in his son’s abilities, in July 1873, Eduard Ignatievich decided to send Konstantin to Moscow to enter the Higher Technical School (now Bauman Moscow State Technical University), providing him with a covering letter to his friend asking him to help him get settled. However, Konstantin lost the letter and only remembered the address: Nemetskaya Street (now Baumanskaya Street). Having reached it, the young man rented a room in the laundress’s apartment.
For unknown reasons, Konstantin never entered the school, but decided to continue his education on his own. Living literally on bread and water (my father sent me 10-15 rubles a month), I began to study hard. “I had nothing then except water and black bread. Every three days I went to the bakery and bought 9 kopecks worth of bread there. Thus, I lived on 90 kopecks a month.". To save money, Konstantin moved around Moscow only on foot. He spent all his free money on books, instruments and chemicals.
Every day from ten in the morning until three or four in the afternoon, the young man studied science in the Chertkovo Public Library - the only free library in Moscow at that time.
In this library, Tsiolkovsky met with the founder of Russian cosmism, Nikolai Fedorovich Fedorov, who worked there as an assistant librarian (an employee who was constantly in the hall), but never recognized the famous thinker in the humble employee. “He gave me forbidden books. Then it turned out that he was a famous ascetic, a friend of Tolstoy and an amazing philosopher and modest man. He gave away all his tiny salary to the poor. Now I see that he wanted to make me his boarder, but he didn’t succeed: I was too shy.”, Konstantin Eduardovich later wrote in his autobiography.
Tsiolkovsky admitted that Fedorov replaced university professors for him. However, this influence manifested itself much later, ten years after the death of Moscow Socrates, and during his stay in Moscow, Konstantin knew nothing about the views of Nikolai Fedorovich, and they never spoke about Cosmos.
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, Turgenev, and admired the articles of Dmitry Pisarev: “Pisarev made me tremble with joy and happiness. I saw my second “I” in him then.”.
During the first year of his life in Moscow, Tsiolkovsky studied physics and the beginnings of mathematics. In 1874, the Chertkovsky Library moved to the building of the Rumyantsev Museum, and Nikolai Fedorov moved to a new place of work with it. 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 he gained, Konstantin could easily begin independent work in the provinces, as well as continue his 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.
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, the tragic death of his wife and children affected (except for the sons Dmitry and Ignatius, during these years the Tsiolkovskys lost their youngest daughter, Ekaterina - she died in 1875, during the absence of Konstantin), the head of the family left resign. In 1878, the entire Tsiolkovsky family returned to Ryazan.
Upon returning to Ryazan, the family lived on Sadovaya Street. Immediately after his arrival, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky passed a medical examination and was released from prison. military service due to deafness. The family intended to buy a house and live on the income from it, but the unexpected happened - Konstantin quarreled with his father. As a result, Konstantin rented a separate room from the employee Palkin and was forced to look for other means of livelihood, since his personal savings accumulated from private lessons in Vyatka were coming to an end, and in Ryazan an unknown tutor without recommendations could not find students.
To continue working as a teacher, a certain, documented qualification was required. In the fall of 1879, at the First Provincial Gymnasium, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky took an external examination to become a district mathematics teacher. As a “self-taught” student, he had to pass a “full” exam - not only the subject itself, but also grammar, catechism, liturgy and other compulsory disciplines. Tsiolkovsky was never interested in or studied these subjects, but managed to prepare in a short time.
Having successfully passed the exam, Tsiolkovsky received a referral from the Ministry of Education to the position of teacher of arithmetic and geometry at the Borovsk district school in the Kaluga province (Borovsk was located 100 km from Moscow) and in January 1880 he left Ryazan.
In Borovsk, the unofficial capital of the Old Believers, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky lived and taught for 12 years, started a family, made several friends, and wrote his first scientific works. At this time, his contacts with the Russian scientific community began, and his first publications were published.
Upon arrival, Tsiolkovsky stayed in hotel rooms on the central square of the city. After long search for more comfortable housing, Tsiolkovsky - on the recommendation of the residents of Borovsk - “went to work for bread with a widower and his daughter who lived on the outskirts of the city” - E. E. Sokolov, a widower, a priest of the United Faith Church. He was given two rooms and a table of soup and porridge. Daughter Sokolova Varya was only two months younger than Tsiolkovsky. Her character and hard work pleased him, and soon Tsiolkovsky married her. They got married on August 20, 1880 in the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin. Tsiolkovsky did not take any dowry for the bride, there was no wedding, the wedding was not advertised.
In January of the following year, K. E. Tsiolkovsky’s father died in Ryazan.
At the Borovsky district school, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky continued to improve as a teacher: he taught arithmetic and geometry in a non-standard way, came up with exciting problems and set up amazing experiments, especially for the Borovsky boys. Several times he and his students launched a huge paper balloon with a “gondola” containing burning splinters to heat the air. Sometimes Tsiolkovsky had to replace other teachers and teach lessons in drawing, drawing, history, geography, and once even replaced the school superintendent.
After classes at the school and on weekends, Tsiolkovsky continued his research at home: he worked on manuscripts, made drawings, and performed experiments.
Tsiolkovsky's very first work was devoted to the application of mechanics in biology. It became an article written in 1880 "Graphic representation of sensations". In this work, Tsiolkovsky developed the pessimistic theory of “churned zero”, characteristic of him at that time, and mathematically substantiated the idea of the meaninglessness of human life (this theory, as the scientist later admitted, was destined to play a fatal role in his life and in the life of his family). Tsiolkovsky sent this article to the magazine “Russian Thought”, but it was not published there and the manuscript was not returned, and Konstantin switched to other topics.
In 1881, Tsiolkovsky wrote his first truly scientific work. "Theory of Gases"(the manuscript of which has not been found). One day he was visited by student Vasily Lavrov, who offered his help, since he was heading to St. Petersburg and could submit the manuscript for consideration to the Russian Physicochemical Society (RFCS), a very authoritative scientific community in Russia at that time (Lavrov later transferred two following works by Tsiolkovsky). “The Theory of Gases” was written by Tsiolkovsky based on the books he had. Tsiolkovsky independently developed the foundations of the kinetic theory of gases.
Soon Tsiolkovsky received an answer from Mendeleev: the kinetic theory of gases was discovered 25 years ago. This fact became an unpleasant discovery for Konstantin; the reasons for his ignorance were isolation from the scientific community and lack of access to modern scientific literature. Despite the failure, Tsiolkovsky continued his research.
The second scientific work transferred to the Russian Federal Chemical Society was an article from 1882 "Mechanics is like a variable organism".
The third work written in Borovsk and presented to the scientific community was the article "Duration of solar emission"(1883), in which Tsiolkovsky described the mechanism of action of the star. He considered the Sun as an ideal gas ball, tried to determine the temperature and pressure at its center, and the lifetime of the Sun. Tsiolkovsky in his calculations used only the basic laws of mechanics (law of universal gravitation) and gas dynamics (Boyle-Mariotte law).
The article was reviewed by Professor Ivan Borgman. According to Tsiolkovsky, he liked it, but since its original version contained practically no calculations, it “aroused mistrust.” Nevertheless, it was Borgman who proposed to publish the works presented by the teacher from Borovsk, which, however, was not done.
Members of the Russian Physicochemical Society unanimously voted to accept Tsiolkovsky into their ranks, as reported in a letter. However, Konstantin did not answer: “Naive savagery and inexperience,” he later lamented.
Tsiolkovsky's next work "Free space" 1883 was written in the form of a diary. This is a kind of thought experiment, the narrative is told on behalf of an observer located in free airless space and not experiencing the forces of attraction and resistance. The main result of this work can be considered the principle first formulated by Tsiolkovsky about the only possible method of movement in “free space” - jet propulsion.
One of the main problems that occupied Tsiolkovsky almost from the time he arrived in Borovsk was the theory of balloons. Soon he came to the realization that this was precisely the task that deserved the most attention.
In 1885, he decided to devote himself to aeronautics and theoretically develop a metal controllable balloon.
Tsiolkovsky developed a balloon of his own design, which resulted in a voluminous essay “Theory and experience of a balloon having an elongated shape in the horizontal direction”(1885-1886). 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.
While working on this manuscript, Tsiolkovsky was visited by P. M. Golubitsky, already a well-known inventor in the field of telephony by that time. He invited Tsiolkovsky to go with him to Moscow and introduce himself to the famous Sofia Kovalevskaya, who had arrived briefly from Stockholm. However, Tsiolkovsky, by his own admission, did not dare to accept the offer: “My squalor and the resulting savagery prevented me from doing this. I didn't go. Maybe it's for the best."
Having refused a trip to Golubitsky, Tsiolkovsky took advantage of his other offer - he wrote a letter to Moscow, professor of Moscow University A. G. Stoletov, in which he talked about his airship. Soon a reply letter arrived with an offer to speak at the Moscow Polytechnic Museum at a meeting of the Physics Department of the Society of Natural History Lovers.
In April 1887, Tsiolkovsky arrived in Moscow and, after a lengthy search, found the museum building. His report was entitled “On the possibility of building a metal balloon capable of changing its volume and even folding into a plane.” I didn’t have to read the report itself, just explain the main points. The listeners reacted favorably to the speaker, there were no fundamental objections, and several simple questions were asked. After the report was completed, an offer was made to help Tsiolkovsky settle in Moscow, but no real help was forthcoming.
On the advice of Stoletov, Konstantin Eduardovich handed over the manuscript of the report to N. E. Zhukovsky.
In 1889, Tsiolkovsky continued work on his airship. Assessing the failure in the Society of Natural History Lovers as a consequence of insufficient elaboration of his first manuscript about the balloon, Tsiolkovsky writes new article “On the possibility of building a metal balloon”(1890) and, together with a paper model of his airship, sends it to D.I. Mendeleev in St. Petersburg. Mendeleev, at the request of Tsiolkovsky, transferred all the materials to the Imperial Russian Technical Society (IRTO).
But Tsiolkovsky was refused.
In 1891, Tsiolkovsky made one last attempt to protect his airship in the eyes of the scientific community. He wrote a great work "Controllable metal balloon", in which he took into account Zhukovsky’s comments and wishes, and on October 16 sent it, this time to Moscow, to A.G. Stoletov. There was no result again.
Then Konstantin Eduardovich turned to his friends for help and, using the funds raised, ordered the publication of a book at the Moscow printing house of M. G. Volchaninov. One of the donors was Konstantin Eduardovich’s school friend, the famous archaeologist A. A. Spitsyn, who was visiting the Tsiolkovskys at that time and conducting research on ancient human sites in the area of the St. Pafnutiev Borovsky Monastery and at the mouth of the Isterma River. The publication of the book was carried out by Tsiolkovsky’s friend, teacher at the Borovsky School S.E. Chertkov. The book was published after Tsiolkovsky's transfer to Kaluga in two editions: the first - in 1892; the second - in 1893.
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 physicist 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's story is distinguished by its persuasiveness, the presence of numerous details, and rich literary language.
In Borovsk, the Tsiolkovskys had four children.: eldest daughter Lyubov (1881) and sons Ignatius (1883), Alexander (1885) and Ivan (1888). The Tsiolkovskys lived poorly, but, according to the scientist himself, “they didn’t wear patches and never went hungry.” Konstantin Eduardovich spent most of his salary on books, physical and chemical instruments, tools, and reagents.
On April 23, 1887, on the day of Tsiolkovsky’s return from Moscow, where he gave a report on a metal airship of his own design, a fire broke out in his house, in which manuscripts, models, drawings, a library, as well as all the Tsiolkovskys’ property, were lost, with the exception of a sewing machine, which they managed to throw through the window into the yard. This was the hardest blow for Konstantin Eduardovich; he expressed his thoughts and feelings in the manuscript “Prayer” (May 15, 1887).
On January 27, 1892, the director of public schools, D. S. Unkovsky, turned to the trustee of the Moscow educational district with a request to transfer “one of the most capable and diligent teachers” to the district school of the city of Kaluga. At this time, Tsiolkovsky continued his work on aerodynamics and the theory of vortices in various media, and also awaited the publication of the book “Controllable Metal Balloon” in the Moscow printing house. The decision to transfer was made on February 4.
Tsiolkovsky lived in Kaluga for the rest of his life. Since 1892 he worked as a teacher of arithmetic and geometry at the Kaluga district school. Since 1899, he taught physics classes at the diocesan women's school, which was disbanded after the October Revolution. In Kaluga, Tsiolkovsky wrote his main works on astronautics, the theory of jet propulsion, space biology and medicine. He also continued work on the theory of a metal airship.
After completing teaching in 1921, Tsiolkovsky was assigned a personal lifetime pension. From that moment until his death, Tsiolkovsky was exclusively engaged in his research, dissemination of his ideas, and implementation of projects.
In Kaluga, the main philosophical works of K. E. Tsiolkovsky were written, the philosophy of monism was formulated, and articles were written about his vision of an ideal society of the future.
In Kaluga, the Tsiolkovskys had a son and two daughters. At the same time, it was here that the Tsiolkovskys had to endure the tragic death of many of their children: out of K. E. Tsiolkovsky’s seven children, five died during his lifetime.
In Kaluga, Tsiolkovsky met scientists A. L. Chizhevsky and Ya. I. Perelman, who became his friends and popularizers of his ideas, and later biographers.
In Kaluga, Tsiolkovsky also did not forget about science, astronautics and aeronautics. He built a special installation that made it possible to measure some aerodynamic parameters of aircraft. Since the Physicochemical Society did not allocate a penny for his experiments, the scientist had to use family funds to conduct research.
Tsiolkovsky built more than 100 experimental models at his own expense and tested them. After some time, society finally paid attention to the Kaluga genius and allocated him financial support- 470 rubles, with which Tsiolkovsky built a new, improved installation - a “blower”.
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.
His book was published in 1895 "Dreams of Earth and Sky", and a year later an article about other worlds was published, sentient beings from other planets and about the communication of earthlings with them. In the same year, 1896, Tsiolkovsky began writing his main work, “The Study of World Spaces with Reactive Instruments,” published in 1903. This book touched on the problems of using rockets in space.
In 1896-1898, the scientist took part in the Kaluzhsky Vestnik newspaper, which published both materials from Tsiolkovsky himself and articles about him.
The first fifteen years of the 20th century were the most difficult in the life of a scientist. In 1902, his son Ignatius committed suicide.
In 1908, during the Oka flood, his house was flooded, many cars and exhibits were disabled, and numerous unique calculations were lost.
On June 5, 1919, the Council of the Russian Society of Lovers of World Studies accepted K. E. Tsiolkovsky as a member and he, as a member of the scientific society, was awarded a pension. This saved him from starvation during the years of devastation, since on June 30, 1919, the Socialist Academy did not elect him as a member and thereby left him without a livelihood. The Physicochemical Society also did not appreciate the significance and revolutionary nature of the models presented by Tsiolkovsky.
In 1923, his second son, Alexander, also committed suicide.
On November 17, 1919, five people raided the Tsiolkovskys’ house. After searching the house, they took the head of the family and brought him to Moscow, where he was imprisoned in Lubyanka. There he was interrogated for several weeks. According to some reports, a certain high-ranking official interceded on Tsiolkovsky’s behalf, as a result of which the scientist was released.
In 1918 Tsiolkovsky was elected to the number of competing members of the Socialist Academy social sciences(renamed the Communist Academy in 1924), and on November 9, 1921, the scientist was awarded a lifetime pension for services to domestic and world science. This pension was paid until September 19, 1935 - on that day Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky died of stomach cancer in his hometown of Kaluga.
Six days before his death, September 13, 1935, K. E. Tsiolkovsky wrote in a letter to: “Before the revolution, my dream could not come true. Only October brought recognition to the works of a self-taught man: only the Soviet government and the Lenin-Stalin party provided me with effective help. I felt the love of the people, and this gave me the strength to continue my work, even though I was sick... I pass on all my works on aviation, rocket navigation and interplanetary communications to the Bolshevik Party and the Soviet government - the true leaders of the progress of human culture. I am confident that they will successfully complete my work.".
The letter from the outstanding scientist soon received an answer: “To the famous scientist, Comrade K. E. Tsiolkovsky. Please accept my gratitude for a letter full of confidence in the Bolshevik Party and Soviet power. I wish you health and further fruitful work for the benefit of the working people. I shake your hand. I. Stalin".
The next day, a decree of the Soviet government was published on measures to perpetuate the memory of the great Russian scientist and on the transfer of his works to the Main Directorate of Civil Air Fleet. Subsequently, by decision of the government, they were transferred to the USSR Academy of Sciences, where a special commission was created to develop the works of K. E. Tsiolkovsky.
The commission distributed the scientist’s scientific works into sections. The first volume contained all the works of K. E. Tsiolkovsky on aerodynamics. The second volume - works on jet aircraft, the third volume - works on all-metal airships, on increasing the energy of heat engines and various issues of applied mechanics, on the issues of watering deserts and cooling human habitations in them, the use of tides and waves and various inventions, in the fourth volume included Tsiolkovsky's works on astronomy, geophysics, biology, the structure of matter and other problems; finally, the fifth volume contains biographical materials and correspondence of the scientist.
In 1966, 31 years after the death of the scientist, the Orthodox priest Alexander Men performed the funeral ceremony over Tsiolkovsky’s grave.
Works of Tsiolkovsky:
1883 - “Free space. (systematic presentation of scientific ideas)"
1902-1904 - “Ethics, or the natural foundations of morality”
1903 - “Exploration of world spaces using jet instruments”
1911 - “Exploration of world spaces using jet instruments”
1914 - “Exploration of world spaces using jet instruments (Addition)”
1924 - “Spaceship”
1926 - “Exploration of world spaces using jet instruments”
1925 - Monism of the Universe
1926 - “Friction and Air Resistance”
1927 - “Space rocket. Experienced training"
1927 - “The universal human alphabet, spelling and language”
1928 - “Proceedings on the space rocket 1903-1907.”
1929 - “Space Rocket Trains”
1929 - “Jet Engine”
1929 - “Star Voyage Goals”
1930 - “To Starfarers”
1931 - “The Origin of Music and Its Essence”
1932 - “Jet Propulsion”
1932-1933 - “Fuel for the rocket”
1933 - “A starship with its predecessor machines”
1933 - “Projectiles acquiring cosmic velocities on land or water”
1935 - " Highest speed rockets."
The topic of today's article is short biography K. E. Tsiolkovsky. This world-famous scientist lived his life so that we would one day witness the first human flight into space. Tsiolkovsky’s biography is interesting and rich; we will try to briefly talk about all his achievements.
A little about the Tsiolkovsky family
Konstantin Eduardovich was born into the family of a forester on September 17, 1857. His mother was from a poor noble family, ran a household and raised children. She herself taught her sons writing, reading and arithmetic.
When Konstantin was three years old, the family had to leave the quiet village of Izhevskoye and start new life in Ryazan. The head of the family, Eduard Ignatievich, encountered difficulties in his work, and he had no choice but to take his family away.
School years
Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky, whose biography is known to many, entered the Vyatka Men's Gymnasium in 1868. The family moved to this city after long stay in Ryazan.
Education was not good for the child. Tsiolkovsky, whose brief biography is described in this article, had suffered from scarlet fever, and now had difficulty hearing. He became practically deaf, and teachers could not give him the necessary knowledge in the field of science, so in 1873 they decided to expel him for poor academic performance. After this, the future great scientist did not study anywhere, preferring to study independently at home.
Private tutoring
Tsiolkovsky's biography contains several years of life in Moscow. A sixteen-year-old boy went there to study chemistry, mechanics, mathematics and astronomy. They bought him a hearing aid, and now he could study along with all the students. He spent a lot of time in the library, where he met N. F. Fedorov, one of the founders of cosmism.
K. E. Tsiolkovsky, whose biography in the capital in those years did not have bright moments, tries to live independently, as he understands that his parents cannot help him financially. For some time he copes, but still this life is too expensive, and he returns to Vyatka to work as a private tutor.
In his city, he immediately established himself as a good teacher, and people came to him to study physics and mathematics. The children willingly studied with Konstantin Eduardovich, and he tried to explain the material to them more clearly. He developed teaching methods himself, and the key was visual demonstration so that children understood what exactly was being discussed.
First research in aerodynamics
In 1878, the guy left for Ryazan and there received a diploma as a qualified teacher. He did not go back to Vyatka, but began to work as a teacher at the Borovsk school.
In this school, despite its remoteness from all scientific centers, Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky begins to actively conduct research into aerodynamics. A short biography of the aspiring scientist describes the events when, having created the foundations of the kinetic theory of gases, he sends the result of his work to the Russian Physical-Chemical Society. Mendeleev's answer was unexpected: the discovery had already been made a quarter of a century ago. This was a real shock for Konstantin Eduardovich, but he was able to quickly pull himself together and forget about the failure. But this discovery still bore fruit; his talent was appreciated in St. Petersburg.
Wind tunnel
Since 1892, Tsiolkovsky’s biography has continued with his life and works in Kaluga. He gets a job as a teacher again and continues Scientific research in the field of astronautics and aeronautics. Here he created an aerodynamic tunnel in which the aerodynamics of possible aircraft are tested. The scientist does not have the means for a deeper study, and he asks for assistance from the Russian Physico-Chemical Society. Remembering Tsiolkovsky’s past unsuccessful experience, scientists believe that there is no point in allocating money for his work, and send a refusal in response.
This decision on the part of the researchers does not stop the researcher. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, whose biography says that he was from a poor family, decides to take money from his personal savings and continues to work.
The family's funds were enough to create and test more than a hundred models of aircraft. Soon they began to talk about the scientist, and rumors about his persistence reached the Physicochemical Society, which refused to finance his projects. Scientists became interested in the experiments of Konstantin Eduardovich and decided to allocate 470 rubles to continue his work. Tsiolkovsky, whose short biography is still interesting to people, spent these funds on improving his wind tunnel.
Books by Tsiolkovsky
Konstantin Eduardovich devotes more and more time to space exploration. He put a lot of work into the book “Dreams of Earth and Heaven,” which was published in 1895. This is not his only work. A year later, he begins work on another book - “Exploration of outer space using a jet engine.” Here he describes the features of the composition of fuel for rocket engines and the possibilities of transporting goods in space. This book became the main one for the scientist, in which he talked about the most important scientific achievements.
Tsiolkovsky Konstantin Eduardovich: family
Konstantin Eduardovich met his wife, Varvara Evgrafovna Sokolova, in the late 70s of the nineteenth century. She was the daughter of the owner of the house in which the young scientist rented a room. The young people got married in 1880 and soon became parents.
Varvara and Konstantin had three sons - Ignatius, Ivan and Alexander - their only daughter Sophia. In 1902, misfortune came to the family: their eldest son Ignatius committed suicide. It took a long time for my parents to recover from this shock.
Tsiolkovsky's misfortunes
Tsiolkovsky's biography contains a number of misfortunes. Troubles befell the scientist, sparing no one or anything. In 1881, Konstantin Eduardovich’s father died. Six years after this event, in 1887, his scientific works were completely destroyed by fire. There was a fire in their house, it left behind only a sewing machine, and modules, drawings, important notes and all other acquired property were turned into ashes.
In 1902, as we already wrote, his eldest son passed away. And in 1907, five years after the tragedy, water broke into the scientist’s house. The Oka overflowed heavily and flooded Tsiolkovsky’s home. This element destroyed unique calculations, various exhibits and machines that Konstantin Eduardovich treasured.
Subsequently, this man's life became worse and worse. The Physicochemical Society, once interested in the scientist’s work, no longer wanted to finance his research and the creation of new models of aircraft. His family became practically destitute. Years of work were wasted, everything created was burned by fire and carried away by water. Konstantin Eduardovich had neither the funds nor the desire to create new inventions.
In 1923, another son, Alexander, committed suicide. Konstantin Eduardovich experienced and suffered a lot, and the last years of his life turned out to be more favorable to the scientist.
Last few years
Rejected by the scientific community, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, whose short biography is described in our article, practically died in poverty. He was saved by the new government that came in 1921. The scientist was assigned a small but lifelong pension, with which he could buy some food so as not to die of hunger.
After the death of his second son, Konstantin Eduardovich’s life changed radically. The Soviet authorities appreciated his work, contained in his book on rocket engines and fuel. The scientist was allocated housing, the living conditions in which were more comfortable than in the previous one. They began to talk about him, began to value his past works, and used research, calculations, and models for the benefit of science.
In 1929, Tsiolkovsky personally met with Sergei Korolev himself. He made many proposals and drawings, which were appreciated.
Literally before his death, in 1935, Konstantin Eduardovich finished work on his autobiography, from which we learned many details of his life, all the joys and experiences. The book is called "Characters from my life."
In 1935, on September 19, the great scientist died of stomach cancer. He died and was buried in Kaluga, where the main years of his life passed. Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky made a huge contribution to the study and conquest of space. Without his work, it is unknown which country would be the first to send a man into space. He deserved a happier life and universal recognition. It is a pity that his works were appreciated so late, when the scientist experienced a lot of grief and loss.
Achievements of Tsiolkovsky and interesting facts from his life
Few people know that at the age of fourteen, Konstantin Eduardovich himself, using only improvised means, was able to assemble a lathe. And when the boy was fifteen years old, he surprised everyone with his new invention - a balloon. He was a brilliant man from childhood.
Fans of science fiction novels are, of course, familiar with the work of Alexander Belyaev “The Star of KETS”. The writer was inspired to create this book by the ideas of Tsiolkovsky.
Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky, whose brief biography is included in this article, during his career he created more than four hundred works on the theory of rocketry. He substantiated theories about the possibility of travel in space.
This scientist was the creator of the country's first wind tunnel and laboratory for researching the aerodynamic properties of flight devices. He also designed a model of an airship made of solid metal and a controllable balloon.
Tsiolkovsky proved that space travel requires rockets, and not other aircraft. He outlined the most rigorous theory of jet propulsion.
Konstantin Eduardovich created a diagram of a gas turbine engine and proposed launching rockets from an inclined position. This method is still used in multiple launch rocket systems.
Rus. scientist and inventor who made a number of major discoveries in aerodynamics, rocketry and the theory of interplanetary communications.
Genus. in the village Izhevsk, Ryazan province, in the family of a forester. After suffering a serious illness (scarlet fever) in childhood, Ts. almost completely lost his hearing and was deprived of the opportunity to study at school and actively communicate with people. I studied independently; from 16 to 19 years old he lived in Moscow, studying physics and mathematics. sciences in the cycle of secondary and high school. In 1879, Ts. passed the exams for the title of teacher as an external student and in 1880 was appointed teacher of arithmetic, geometry and physics at the Borovsk district school of Kaluga province. The first scientific research of Ts dates back to this time. On his own, without knowing about the discoveries already made, in 1881 he developed the fundamentals of kinetics. theory of gases. His second work, “Mechanics of the Animal Organism,” received a favorable review from the famous physiologist I.M. Sechenov, and Ts. was accepted as a member. Rus. physico-chemical about-va.
Ts.'s main works, carried out after 1884, were closely related to three major problems: the scientific justification of all-metal. aerostat (airship), a well-streamlined airplane and a rocket for interplanetary travel. Most scientific research on all-metal. The airship was completed in 1885-92. The description and calculations of the airplane were published. in 1894. Since 1896, Ts. systematically studied the theory of motion of jet vehicles and proposed a number of designs for long-range rockets and rockets for interplanetary travel. After the Great Oct. socialist Revolution, he worked a lot and fruitfully to create a theory of jet flight.
The result of Ts.'s research work on the airship was op. "Theory and experience of a balloon" (1887), in which scientific and technical information is given. justification for the design of an airship with metallic shell. Drawings explaining the design details were attached to the work. The Ts airship differed favorably from its predecessor designs in a number of features. Firstly, it was an airship of variable volume, which made it possible to maintain a constant lift at different ambient temperatures and different flight altitudes. The ability to change the volume was structurally achieved using a special tightening system and a corrugated shell. Secondly, the gas filling the airship could be heated by the heat of the exhaust gases passed through the coils. The third design feature was the use of thin corrugated metal to increase the strength. shell, and the corrugation waves were located perpendicular to the axis of the airship. Selection of geometric The shape of the airship and the calculation of the strength of its thin shell were first carried out by Ts.
However, progressive for its time, the Ts airship project was not supported; the author was even denied a subsidy for the construction of the model. Ts.'s appeal to the general Russian headquarters The army was also unsuccessful. Ts.'s printed work, "Controllable Metal Balloon" (1892), received a certain number of sympathetic reviews, and that was all.
In 1892, Ts. moved to Kaluga, where he taught physics and mathematics at the gymnasium and diocesan school. IN scientific activity he turned to the new and little-explored field of heavier-than-air aircraft.
Ts. had the wonderful idea of building an airplane with metal. frame. The article “Airplane or bird-like (aviation) flying machine” (1894) gives a description and drawings of a monoplane, which in its own way appearance and aerodynamic. the layout anticipated the designs of aircraft that appeared 15-18 years later. In an airplane, the wings have a thick profile with a rounded leading edge, and the fuselage has a streamlined shape. Ts. built the first aerodynamic machine in Russia in 1897. pipe, developed an experimental technique in it, and later (1900), with a subsidy from the Academy of Sciences, carried out purging of the simplest models and determined the resistance coefficients of a ball, flat plate, cylinder, cone, and other bodies. But the work on the airplane also did not receive recognition from representatives of the official Russian Federation. Sciences. Ts had neither the funds nor even moral support for further research in this area.
The most important scientific results were obtained by Ts. in the theory of rocket motion. Thoughts about using the principle of jet propulsion for flight purposes were expressed by Ts. as early as 1883, but his creation of a mathematically rigorous theory of jet propulsion dates back to the very end of the 19th century. In 1903, in the article “Exploration of World Spaces by Jet Instruments,” based on general theorems of mechanics, Ts. gave a theory of rocket flight, taking into account the change in its mass during movement, and also substantiated the possibility of using jet vehicles for interplanetary communications. Rigorous mathematical the proof of the possibility of using a rocket to solve scientific problems, the use of rocket engines to create the movement of grandiose interplanetary ships belongs entirely to Ts. In this article and in its subsequent continuations, he for the first time in the world gave the foundations of the theory of a liquid jet engine, as well as the elements of its design.
In 1929, Ts. developed a very fruitful theory of the movement of composite rockets or rocket trains; he proposed two types of composite missiles for implementation. One type is a sequential composite rocket, consisting of several rockets connected one after the other. During takeoff, the last (bottom) rocket is the pusher. After using up her fuel, she becomes separated from the train and falls to the ground. Next, the engine of the rocket, which turned out to be the last, begins to operate. For the remaining ones, this rocket is a pusher until its fuel is completely used up, and then it is also separated from the train. Only the lead missile reaches the flight target, reaching a much higher speed than a single missile, since it is accelerated by the missiles thrown away during the movement.
The second type of composite missile (parallel connection of a number of missiles) was called a squadron missile. In this case, according to Ts., all rockets operate simultaneously until half of their fuel is used up. Then the outer missiles drain the remaining fuel supply into the half-empty tanks of the remaining missiles and are separated from rocket train. The process of fuel transfer is repeated until only one lead missile remains from the train, which has gained a very high speed.
Creating a reasonable design for a composite rocket is one of the most current problems, scientists and engineers are working on the cut.
Ts. was the first to solve the problem of the movement of a rocket in a uniform gravitational field and calculated the necessary fuel reserves to overcome the force of gravity of the Earth. He roughly examined the influence of the atmosphere on the flight of a rocket and calculated the necessary fuel reserves to overcome the resistance forces of the Earth's air shell.
Ts. is the founder of the theory of interplanetary communications. The question of interplanetary travel interested Ts. from the very beginning of his scientific research. His research was the first to strictly scientifically demonstrate the possibility of a space flight. speeds, despite high technical requirements. practical difficulties implementation of these flights. He was the first to study the issue of a rocket - an artificial Earth satellite, and expressed the idea of creating extraterrestrial stations as intermediate bases for interplanetary communications, and examined in detail the living and working conditions of people on an artificial Earth satellite and interplanetary stations. Ts. put forward the idea of gas rudders to control the flight of a rocket in airless space; he suggested gyroscopic. stabilization of the rocket in free flight in space where there are no gravity or resistance forces. Ts. understood the need to cool the walls of the combustion chamber of a jet engine, and his proposal to cool the chamber walls with fuel components is widely used in modern times. jet engine designs.
So that the rocket does not burn up like a meteorite when returning from space. space to the Earth, Ts. proposed special rocket planning trajectories to reduce speed when approaching the Earth, as well as methods for cooling the rocket walls with a liquid oxidizer. He explored big number various oxidizers and combustibles and for liquid jet engines recommended the following fuel pairs: liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen; alcohol and liquid oxygen; hydrocarbons and liquid oxygen or ozone.
Under Sov. authorities, the living and working conditions of Ts. changed radically. The government provided all possible assistance to his research, and there was great interest in it from public and scientific organizations. Ts. was assigned a personal pension and provided the opportunity for fruitful work.
Ts is also responsible for a number of studies in other fields of knowledge: aerodynamics, philosophy, linguistics, works on the social structure of people’s lives on artificial islands floating around the Sun between the orbits of the Earth and Mars. Some of these studies are controversial, some repeat the results obtained by other scientists. Ts. himself knew this well, but in the conditions of pre-revolutionary Kaluga he could not systematically follow world scientific literature. In 1928 he wrote: “I discovered a lot that had already been discovered before me. I recognize the significance of such work only for myself, since they gave me confidence in my abilities.” Ts.'s research on rocket technology and the theory of interplanetary travel serves as guiding material for modern science. designers and scientists involved in the creation of jet vehicles. C.'s ideas are being successfully implemented.
Works: Collected Works, vol. 1-2, M., 1951-54; Selected works, book. 1-2, L., 1934; Proceedings on rocket technology, M., 1947.
Lit.: Yuriev B. N., Life and work of K. E. Tsiolkovsky, in the book: Proceedings on the history of technology, vol. 1, M., 1952; Kosmodemyansky A. A., K. E. Tsiolkovsky - the founder of modern rocket dynamics, ibid.; him, Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky, in the book: People of Russian Science, with a preface. and entry article by academician S. I. Vavilova, vol. 2, M.-L., 1948 (there is a list of works by Ts. and lit. about hem); Arlazorov M. S., Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky. His life and work, 2nd ed., M., 1957
Tsiolkovsky, Konstantin Eduardovich
(17.IX.1857-19.IX.1935) - Russian scientist and inventor, founder of modern cosmonautics and rocket technology. Genus. in the family of a forester in the village. Izhevsk (formerly Ryazan province). As a result of complications after suffering from scarlet fever in childhood, he lost his hearing and was deprived of the opportunity to enroll in educational institution. He studied physics and mathematics on his own. In 1879, he passed the exam for the title of teacher as an external student, and the following year he was appointed a mathematics teacher at the district school of the mountains. Borowska. Since 1898, he taught mathematics and physics at a women's school in Kaluga.
Tsiolkovsky's first scientific research began in the 80s. In 1885-1892. he conducted much of his research into justifying the feasibility of building an all-metal airship. Since 1896, he began to systematically develop the theory of motion of jet vehicles. They proposed designs for long-range rockets and rockets for interplanetary travel. In 1903, in the article “Exploration of world spaces using jet instruments,” he applied the general laws of mechanics to the theory of flight of a variable-mass rocket and substantiated the possibility of interplanetary communications. Before the Great October Socialist Revolution, Tsiolkovsky's ideas were not appreciated. After the revolution, the Soviet government provided extensive assistance to Tsiolkovsky's research. He was assigned a personal pension and given the opportunity to work. In 1929, he developed the theory of motion of composite multistage rockets, which is used with great success in modern astronautics. First developed the idea of a rocket - artificial satellite Earth and studied the living and working conditions of its crew. He believed that extraterrestrial stations should be intermediate bases for further human expansion into space. Tsiolkovsky is also the author of works on aerodynamics, philosophy, he developed social projects future human society.
Currently, Tsiolkovsky's works have received worldwide recognition. His research and ideas, confirmed by all the practice of modern astronautics, are widely used in the development of various space projects.
He was an honorary member of the Russian Society of World Studies Lovers, an honorary professor at the Air Fleet Academy. N. E. Zhukovsky. In the USSR, the complete collection of Tsiolkovsky's works was published in four volumes, and a gold medal was established in his name for outstanding work in the field of interplanetary communications.
Lit.: Arlazorov M. Tsiolkovsky. - M., "Young Guard", 1962. - Tsiolkovsky K. E. Collected Works. T. 1-4. - M., 1951-1964. - Yuriev B. N. Life and work of K. E. Tsiolkovsky. - In the book: Works on the history of technology, vol. 1. - M., 1952.
Tsiolkovsky, Konstantin Eduardovich
Outstanding scientist, one of the founders of astronautics, thinker. Genus. in the village Izhevskoe, now Ryazan region; from the family of a forester, a Russified Pole. As a child, I almost completely lost my hearing, and from the age of 14 I studied independently. From 16 to 19 years old he lived in Moscow, studied physics and mathematics. science according to secondary and higher school programs. While visiting the Rumyantsev Library, he met N.F. Fedorov, who, according to Ts. himself, replaced his university professors. In 1879, Ts. passed the exam as an external student for the title of teacher of arithmetic and geometry. In 1880 he received a teacher's diploma, and until 1920 he worked in schools in Borovsk, then Kaluga. He is also engaged in scientific research there. activities. At the center of his scientific interests were the problems of overcoming human death, the problem of the meaning of life, the problem of space, the place of man in space, the possibilities of infinite humanity. existence. He considered the most important means of solving these problems to be the invention of rockets and the settlement of humanity (due to the finiteness of the Earth) in other worlds. Reprinted in 1924. his articles on the rocket assert his world priority in this area. At the end of the 20s. gains worldwide fame as the head of a new scientific. directions - rocket dynamics. A rocket propulsion study group is being formed, headed by F.A. Tsander; S.P. Korolev came out of this group. Ts. died in Kaluga.
A.P. Alekseev
Cosmic Ts. defined philosophy as knowledge based only on the authority of “exact science,” and therefore it is often classified as a natural science. direction of cosmism. But in fact, cosmic. philosopher - worldview system, it contains a detailed metaphysics and ethics. Including certain fragments of scientific research. pictures of the world, worldview. C.'s concept goes far beyond the boundaries of scientific foundations. knowledge. A prominent place in it is given to faith, incl. religious Developing the idea of the “first cause” or “reason” of the Universe, Ts. attributed to it properties usually considered as attributes of God. Implicitly cosmic. Philosopher Ts. experienced strong influence theosophy and occultism. A characteristic feature of space Philosopher lies in the fact that it synthesizes various currents of Western history. (Plato, Leucippus, Democritus, Leibniz, Buchner, etc.) and Eastern, mainly esoteric philosophy. thoughts. This is due to its deep antinomy. The starting principle is cosmic. Philosopher C. stands for the principle atomistic panpsychism. According to Ts., “the indivisible basis or essence of the world” is made up of “atoms-spirits” (“ideal atoms”, “primitive spirits”). This is the metaphysical element. substances different from modern elementary particles. physics. “Spirit atoms” are the simplest “creatures” that have “sensitivity.” In its space ethics Ts. actually denied the personal basis of man. "I". For him, "I" -. this is the sensation of an “atom-spirit” located in living matter. It is “spirit atoms” that are the true citizens of the Universe, while man, like every animal, is a “union” of such atoms living in harmony with each other (Ethics or the natural foundations of morality // Archives of the Russian Academy of Sciences. F. 555. Op. 1 D. 372). The principle of monism is expressed in cosmic terms. Philosopher unity: a) the substantial basis of the world; b) material and spirit. the beginnings of the Universe; c) living and inanimate matter (“everything is alive and only temporarily exists in non-existence, in the form of unorganized dead matter” (Scientific Ethics // Essays on the Universe. M., 1992. P. 119); d) the unity of man and the Universe. Among the main belong to space Philosopher also principles infinity,evolution And anthropic principle. The universe, according to cosmic philos., is an integral living organism, which is “like the kindest and most intelligent animal” (The Will of the Universe. Unknown intelligent forces // Essays on the Universe. P.43). With this understanding of the cosmos, which dates back to the Platonic tradition, Ts. clearly contrasted the image of the Universe with class. natural sciences. Many cosmoses can exist in infinite time, just as they exist in infinite space. Speaking against the recognition of the principle of increasing entropy, Ts. spoke of the “eternal emerging youth” of the Universe. He considered all processes to be periodic and reversible. This is what cosmic evolutionism consists of. philosophy, which also includes the idea of infinite increase in the power of non-cosmic mind. Ts. saw the “meaning” of the Universe in the desire of matter for self-organization, the inevitability of the emergence of highly developed cosmic systems. civilizations. The idea of the unity of man and the cosmos found expression in Ts. in the form of two additional principles of cosmism in their content: 1) the principle, which Ts. himself formulated as follows: “The fate of a being depends on the fate of the Universe” (firstly, “cause” and The "will" of the cosmos almost fatalistically determines human activity and behavior; secondly, the metaphysics of human fate receives an original interpretation in cosmic philosophy: there is no death); in the rhythms of the cosmos. evolution, death merges with a “new perfect birth”, this ensures for each creature a subjective feeling of “never ending happiness”; 2) a principle that can be formulated as follows: “The fate of the Universe depends on the cosmic mind, i.e. humanity and other cosmic civilizations, their transformative activities.” Both of these principles coexist in Ts. He believed that for space exploration it was necessary to intervene in the evolution of the species "Homo sapiens", to improve biol. human nature by nature. and arts, selection. Highly developed cosmic civilization, visiting worlds on which “imperfect, unreasonable and painful life” develops, has the right to destroy it, replacing it with “its own perfect breed” ( Space philosophy// Essays on the Universe. P.230). In the distant future, cosmic. the mind will consider it good for itself to turn into radiant energy.
V.V.Kazyutinsky
Op.: Dreams of Earth and Sky. Kaluga, 1895 ;Nirvana. Kaluga, 1914 ;Grief and genius. Kaluga, 1916 ;The wealth of the Universe. Kaluga, 1920 ;Living Universe, 1923 ;Monism of the Universe. Kaluga, 1925 ;The future of the Earth and humanity. Kaluga, 1928 ; Public organization humanity. Kaluga, 1928 ;The will of the Universe. Unknown intelligent forces. Kaluga, 1928 ;Intelligence and passion. Kaluga, 1928 ;Engines of progress. Kaluga, 1928 ;Self love,or True self-love. Kaluga, 1928 ;Past of the Earth. Kaluga, 1928 ;Goals of astronautics. Kaluga, 1929 ;Plant of the future. Animal of space. Spontaneous generation. Kaluga, 1929 ;Scientific ethics. Kaluga,1930. Selected works. Book 1,2. L., 1934 ;Collection op. T.1-4. M., 1951-1964 ;Thoughts about the future. Statements by K.E. Tsiolkovsky. Kaluga, 1958 ;Handwritten materials by K.E. Tsiolkovsky. Cm.:Proceedings of the Archive of the USSR Academy of Sciences. M.,1966. Issue 22;Monism of the Universe // Russian Cosmism. M., 1993 ;
Space philosophy // Ibid.
A.P. Alekseev
Tsiolkovsky, Konstantin Eduardovich
Outstanding Russian Founding scientist of astronautics, original thinker and science fiction writer. Genus. in the village of Izhevsk (Spasskogo district, Ryazan province), lost his hearing as a child and from the age of 14 he was engaged in self-education, in 1879 he passed the exam for the title of teacher as an external student and throughout his life he taught physics and mathematics in schools in Borovsk and Kaluga. While studying at the Rumyantsev Library in Moscow, I met a philosopher and bibliographer N. Fedorov, which “replaced... university professors”; Not without the influence of Fedorov’s “Philosophy of the Common Cause,” their own philosophies matured. Ts.'s views are a bizarre eclectic mixture of daring scientific. projects facing the future (C. can be considered a pioneer of domestic futurology), borrowed elements mysticism and occultism, a kind of religion. utopianism; everything together belongs to the Russian tradition. "cosmism" (see Religion, Philosophy, Utopia). At the end of 19 - beginning. 20th century published (often at his own expense) basic. scientific works that laid the foundation for modern times. astronautics (see Space flights); scientific Ts.'s merits were on the floor. least recognized only after Oct. revolution, the scientist was assigned a personal pension, and all his basic works reed. and became the property of scientists. message
NF TV Ts. is inseparable from its scientific. activities, on the one hand, and his philosophy. views - with others; The scientist considered this literature as one of the means of popularizing science. knowledge, therefore it would be more correct to call all his novels “SF essays.” Book hero "On the moon" (1893 ) moves to Moon in a dream, although fundamental scientific. work by C. "Free space" was written four years earlier; but already on the trail. op. - "Change in Relative Gravity on Earth" (1894 ) - a grand "tour" of solar system with thoughts regarding extraterrestrial life and prospects astroengineering; followed "Dreams of Earth and Sky and the Effects of Universal Gravity" (1895 ; etc. - "The heaviness has disappeared") represent a thought experiment; the "lit." the story remains "Out of Earth"(directed 1896; phragm. 1918 ; 1920 ), the mysterious and never explained prologue to the cut suggests interesting, but unfulfilled lit. plans of Ts. All his SF productions. ed. under one cover in Sat. "The path to the stars" (1960 ).
These works, like the “fiction-philosopher.” (many were not published until very recently), they unite several. fundamental ideas that form the basis philosophy Ts. Kosmich. He thought of space not as an empty “container”, but as a stage on which many various forms extraterrestrial life- from the most primitive to the immortal and almost omnipotent (see. Immortality, Gods and Demons, Religion, Supermind). For humanity itself, in full agreement with N. Fedorov, C. assumed an inevitable “fight with death”, in the process of which a person would gradually improve his body, turning it into a kind of autotrophic creature that feeds on radiant energy and practically independent of the environment (see. Biology, Superman). In this perspective space flight- not an end in itself, but only the first step towards the transformation of the earthly reason into the all-knowing and all-powerful ruler of space and time. In general, the influence of Ts.’s ideas on the process of “cosmization” of public consciousness in the 20th century, and, as a consequence, on cosmic. SF is hard to overestimate.
Vl. G., R. Shch.
N.A. Rynin "K.E. Tsiolkovsky, his life, works and rockets" (1931).
B.N. Vorobyov "Tsiolkovsky" (1940).
D. Dar "Good Hour" (1948), D.Dar“The Ballad of a Man and His Wings” (1956), M.S. Arlazorov “Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky, his life and work (1857-1938)” (1952; additional 1957).
M.S.Arlazorov "Tsiolkovsky" (1962).
A.A. Kosmodemyansky "Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky" (1976).
Tsiolkovsky, Konstantin Eduardovich
Russian scientist and inventor in the field of aeronautics, aviation and rocketry, founder of modern cosmonautics. Author of numerous scientific works. Developed a project for an all-metal airship. He was the first to put forward the idea of building an airplane with a metal frame. In 1897 he built a wind tunnel and developed an experimental technique in it. He developed the theory of flight of rocket aircraft in the stratosphere and aircraft designs for flights at hypersonic speeds. In 1954, the USSR Academy of Sciences established a gold medal named after. K. E. Tsiolkovsky "For outstanding work in the field of interplanetary communications." The Moscow Aviation Technological Institute, State University bear his name. Museum of the History of Cosmonautics, crater on the Moon.
Tsiolk O Vsky, Konstantin Eduardovich
Genus. 1857, d. 1935. Scientist, inventor, founder of modern astronautics. Specialist in the field of aerodynamics and rocket dynamics, aircraft and airship theory.
Large biographical encyclopedia. 2009 .
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Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Date of birth: September 5 (17), 1857 (1857 09 17) Place of birth: Izhevskoe, Ryazan province, Russian Empire ... Wikipedia
Russian Soviet scientist and inventor in the field of aerodynamics, rocket dynamics, aircraft and airship theory; founder of modern cosmonautics. Born into a family... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Tsiolkovsky, Konstantin Eduardovich- Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky. (1857 1935), Russian scientist and inventor; founder of astronautics. Works in the field of aerodynamics and rocket dynamics, the theory of aircraft and airships. For the first time he substantiated the possibility... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary
Tsiolkovsky Konstantin Eduardovich Encyclopedia "Aviation"
Tsiolkovsky Konstantin Eduardovich- K. E. Tsiolkovsky Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky (18571935) Russian scientist and inventor in the field of aeronautics, aviation and rocket technology; founder of modern cosmonautics. Ts.'s main works are devoted to scientific... ... Encyclopedia "Aviation"
- (1857 1935) Russian scientist and inventor, founder of modern astronautics. Works in the field of aerodynamics and rocket dynamics, the theory of aircraft and airships. As a child, I almost completely lost my hearing and studied independently from the age of 14; in 1879 as an external student... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary - The request "Tsiolkovsky" is redirected here. See also other meanings. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Date of birth: September 5 (17), 1857 Place of birth: Izhevskoe, Ryazan province, Russian Empire ... Wikipedia
- (1857 1935), scientist and inventor, founder of astronautics. Works in the field of aerodynamics and rocket dynamics, the theory of aircraft and airships. As a child, I almost completely lost my hearing and studied independently from the age of 14; in 1879, as an external student, he passed the exam for the title... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
Books
- Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. Selected works (number of volumes: 2), Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky. Perhaps everyone knows the name of Tsiolkovsky, after whom the crater on the far side of the Moon is named. An outstanding scientist who made a huge contribution to the development of rocket science, the founder...
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, and jumped from great heights. His parents called him “bird” and “blessed.” The latter concerned an important character trait of the boy - daydreaming. Konstantin loved to dream out loud and “paid younger brother“so that he would 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 regular school, but didn't 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 enroll in Moscow, at the Higher Technical School (now Bauman Moscow State Technical University). Konstantin reached Moscow, but did not enroll in college. Instead, he enrolled in the only free city library - Chertkovskaya - and delved into independent study of science.
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 again with books: 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 relations with the 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 escape velocity"). Tsiolkovsky dealt with many practical issues of space, which later formed the basis for Soviet rocket science. He offered options missile 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.