Konstatin Tsiolkovsky

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky The foundation of much of Russia's rocket and space flight theory arrived several decades before the launch of the first liquid rockets within the works of Konstatin Tsilovosky Although Tsilovosky had no formal education and was almost completely unknown outside of the Soviet Union, his contributions to the Russian space program would be influential in molding early missile, orbital satellite, and manned spacecraft designs

Early Life

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky (Константи́н Эдуа́рдович Циолко́вский) Born September 17, 1857 in Ijevskoe, Russia His father, a Polish forester, moved the family to Pronsk where the family grew to 17 brothers and sisters After several illnesses, Konstatin, he contracted scarlet fever and permanently lost much of his hearing at the age of nine The Tsiolkovsky family then moved to Vyatka, where Konstatin entered the boys school

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Because of his severe hearing impairment, Konstantin was suspended at the age of 14 and began to teach himself at home Nearly his entire education which he pursued for most of his life, was self-taught In 1873, Tsiolkovsky traveled to Moscow at the age of 16 to enter the Moscow Technical College. He failed to pass the entrance exams, but pursued further self-education in math, physical sciences, engineering and philosophy at the himself at Chertkovskaya and other libraries throughout the city His focus turned to aeronautics and mechanics as he developed an increasing interest in space flight; at that time a subject of fiction

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky During Tsiolkovsky’s stay in Moscow, profound changes took place in Russia's economy Societal changes from the abolition of feudal dependency in 1861 freed peasants to travel to the burgeoning industrial centers Arts and sciences flourished in this period; the same era in which Tsiolkovsky's inspiration in scientific theory began This is the same period in which Tolstoy wrote his prolific works, Mendeleev developed the periodic table of elements, and Zhukovsky did his pioneering work in aerodynamics

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Tsiolkovsky was fascinated with the works of Jules Verne, which led to his interest in aerodynamic and space flight His early inspiration led him to apply the principles of physics to the many problems that were yet to be solved That inspiration also led him to publish his first manuscript, Dreams of Earth and Sky, and later, more than 500 papers, books and articles on space flight

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky In 1876, Tsiolkovsky returned to the family's home in Vyatka at his father's request to help support his family Two years later, the family moved to Ryazan where Tsiolkovsky worked as a tutor In addition to continuing his self education and tutoring, and studying for a teaching certificate, he began experimenting in artificial gravity In 1880, he completed his teaching certificate and began a secondary career teaching math in Borovsk, in the district of Kaluga

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky This was also the year he met his wife, Varvara Sokolova, the daughter of a local preacher While in Borovsk, Konstatin drafted his first designs for lighter-than-air ships, all with corrugated metal skin Twelve years later, Konstantin received a teaching promotion and moved to the city of Kaluga where he would spend the rest of his life pursuing his interests in lighter-than-air vehicles, aircraft, and rocket propelled vehicles His home in Kaluga, that is now one of the Tsiolkovsky museums, is where he and his wife raised their seven children

Rocketry and Space Flight

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Tsiolkovsky began working on space flight theories well before publishing one of his important articles on the reaction principle of rockets in 1903, The Exploration of Cosmic Space by Means of Reaction Motors Tsiolkovsky’s reaction principle analyses were the first writings to detail the application of the rocket for space travel In later articles, Tsiolkovsky described the use of advanced propulsion fuels that included liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen two decades before the launch of Robert Goddard's first liquid fuel rocket in 1926 This is the fuel used in the Space Shuttle and considered one of the most efficient propellant combinations

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Tsiolkovsky's interests, work, and publications covered many fields, although most of his papers were related to space travel His studies in aerodynamics led to the design of a number of unique aircraft designs and lighter-than-air ships Many of his lighter-than-air models were made of corrugated tin for the external structure, a material that proved to be versatile but too heavy for flight

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky A wind tunnel used in his research in aerodynamics and aircraft design was the first civil structure built in Russia His experimentation spanned his first years after returning  to his family from Moscow to his last productive years The workshop in his Kaluga home that is now a museum displays many of the laboratory tools and equipment he used in his aeronautical designs, including a press for corrugating thin sheet tin, and a wind tunnel that is now at the Tsiolkovsky Museum

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Konstatin's first laboratory experiment that was an artificial centrifuge was the first attempt at investigating the necessary research into the effects on human in space, especially during long-duration missions His work also included several solutions for the high accelerations encountered during launch to orbit and at atmospheric reentry One important design, a hydro-bath that would reduce the effects on the body from the high acceleration/decelerations, was considered a possibility in the capsule design for the early Russian manned vehicles

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Cutaway of a manned rocket design by Tsiolkovsky that included liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propulsion and complete (for that period) life support including high-g launch and reentry accommodation (Tsiolkovsky Museum)

Later Life

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Tsiolkovsky's difficulties with the Russian Czar as well as the Communist and Soviet regimes was not unlike other Russian scientists and intellectuals in that period Revolutionary party distrust of his writings and anti-Soviet accusations by others led to his arrest and brief incarceration in Moscow After persecution for his scientific work, he would later be recognized by the Soviet government as a very important figure in space research and science In his later life, the Soviets recognized his important contribution to rocketry and space flight theory, but only after the works of Oberth and Goddard elaborated on the important theories of space flight, and Goddard launched the first liquid fuel rocket in 1926

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Tsiolkovsky's reputation as a visionary as well as a gifted scientist in a field that he defined led to his membership in the Soviet Academy of Sciences in 1919 His recognition by the Soviet Government also allowed him to work on his research and publications with direct grants instead of his teaching Although the Soviet leadership embraced Tsiolkovsky's theoretical work in space flight, there were obvious conflicts between the Soviet doctrine and his philosophy

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Much of his later works engaged in ideas on human exploration and colonization, and the human adaptation to a spiritual universe These concepts were not just missing from the party dogma, but ideas which put many Russians in prisons or labor camps, or worse Tsiolkovsky would eventually publish over 500 scientific papers, providing both conceptual and theoretical support for later rocket designers. However, a number of his important publications were lost in obscurity or confiscated because of Czarist/Communist/Soviet distrust of intellectuals and their independent style of thinking

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Missile and rocket engineers, including Vladimir Glushko, met with Tsiolkovsky in his later years, offering Tsiolkovsky validation of the space exploration efforts they both felt important to Russia For Glushko, this was an important affiliation that he knew would later advance his influence within the Soviet government

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Tsiolkovsky's important contributions to future flight included (Harford): Design of lighter-than-air vehicles Applied Newton's laws to develop an important rocket propulsion equation Orbital space flight theory and concept development Outlined potential use of atomic energy propulsion and solar propulsion Proposed gyroscopic stabilization of rocket ships Calculated analytic expression for escape velocity for launch to Earth orbit Described extravehicular activity (EVA) concepts Hypothesized first liquid fuel rocket propulsion system (only solid rockets had been flown before)

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Tsiolkovsky's important contributions to future flight (cont.) Identified liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as ideal liquid propellants Proposed cryogenic fuels used to cool combustion chambers and nozzles Proposed graphite vanes for directing the rocket exhaust for directional control Described a flotation device for accommodating high-g human launches Developed first spacecraft pressurized system concepts Developed pressurized space suit concept for space walks Developed basic concepts for staged rockets to reach orbit Described space stations and life support systems including artificial plant growth for deep-space missions

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Reproduction of Tsilkovsky's rocket thrust equation

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Tsiolkovsky pursued more than his engineering interests in space flight. During his later years, Tsiolkovsky wrote The Cosmic Philosophy, an outline of the human development and habitation of the solar system The ambitious plan had sixteen steps for the exploration efforts that would lead to "Universal Happiness" and the ultimate direction in human evolution The basic concepts published in 1926 as the 16 steps are: 1. Creation of rocket airplanes with wings 2. Progressively increasing the speed and altitude of these airplanes 3. Production of real rockets-without wings 4. Ability to land on the surface of the sea

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky 5. Reaching escape velocity and the first flight into Earth orbit 6. Lengthening rocket flight times in space 7. Experimental use of plants to make an artificial atmosphere in spaceships 8. Using pressurized space suits for activity outside of spaceships 9. Making orbiting greenhouses for plants 10. Constructing large orbital habitats around the Earth

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky 11. Using solar radiation to grow food, to heat space quarters, and for transport throughout the solar system 12. Colonization of the asteroid belt 13. Colonization of the entire solar system and beyond 14. Achievement of individual and social perfection 15. Overcrowding of the Solar System and the colonization of the surrounding stars 16. The Sun begins to die and the people remaining in the Solar System's population go to other suns

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Konstatin Tsiolkovsky was not just a productive and brilliant scientist who defined an entire field, he developed many of his theories on rocket propulsion and space flight decades before the first Russian liquid fuel rocket were launched The gap in theory and technology of Soviet rocketry was recognized by the early designers of Russia's first rockets Both Korolev and Glushko wrote of his influence on their early designs, as well as others working in Russia's rocket design bureaus after WW-II Tsilkovsky did, however, live long enough to see the fruits of his theories on rocketry transformed into liquid rockets In a newspaper article published in July 1935, just a few months before his death, Tsiolkovsky wrote: "Unending work in recent times has shaken my pessimistic views: Techniques have been found that will give remarkable results within a few decades.”

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