3.4 Early Astronautical Societies and Historical Merits
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3.4.1 Soviet Societies on Rocketry and Astronautics
Justly under the effects of Tsiolkovsky’s works on aerospace science, the Soviet
Union was the first country to set up the societies on rocketry and astronautics and
became the country of the most that absorbed and trained the young reserve talents
in the field of space flight. Fridrikh Arturovitch Tsander (Fpidpix Aptypoviq
Candep, 1887−1933), a gifted rocketry expert in the Russian Empire and the Soviet
Union, was the early follower of Tsiolkovsky. He had systematically studied the
astronautic theories, including the energy required to reach the certain planet, the
work is done to launch a certain mass from the Earth to a far distance, the oxygen
needed for a person to fly in outer space and the metal materials used as rocket
fuels, and actively publicized and popularized the knowledge of space flight. Tsander
saw himself taking the theoretical groundwork laid at the turn of the century by
Tsiolkovsky and extending it to the practical reality of taking man into space. By
studying and publicizing space science, Tsander increasingly realized that space
flight, a long-term mission and an arduous work, would be achieved only by relying
on collective strength and wisdom.
In January 1924, Tsander gave a lecture entitled “Flight to Other Planets” to
the amateur astronomical association in Moscow, when he suggested setting up the
research organization on interplanetary travel, which received wide responses from
the audiences. Shortly thereafter, the research organization was set up officially and
named Society for Studies of Interplanetary Travel, which was a branch of the Military Science Department at Zhukovsky Air Force Academy. The Society became
a platform for scientists and space explorers to meet for discussions and organize
public educational events. The Society’s aims are to bring together researchers from
all over the Soviet Union devoted to space flight, investigate the progress on rocketry
and astronautics in Europe and the United States, sort out and publish the status of
space flight studying, promote the researches on rocket’s military applications, and
encourage individual research works. It is the first society of studying space flight in
the Soviet Union. At first, the Society had only 25 members and soon expanded to
almost 200, including the astronautic pioneer Tsiolkovsky and the popular science
writer Perelman. Tsander had attempted to lead the Society to develop and test liquid
rocket engine, but due to the lack of research funding support, the Society’s main
activities could only be theoretical studies, academic lectures and exhibitions on
astronautic science, and finally, the Society was disbanded in 1927. Under limited
conditions, Tsander independently developed the OR-1 reaction engine, which used
compressed air and gasoline and was able to produce a thrust of 0.145 kgf. In
1931, a glider pilot who was keen on rocketry and space flight, and a 24-yearold graduate from the Moscow Bauman Higher Technical School, Sergei Pavlovich
Korolev (Cepg´ e P´ avloviq Kopollv, 1907−1966), visited Tsander, hoping to
jointly develop the liquid-propellant rockets.
At the beginning of the 1930s, there were a number of amateur rocket research
groups and lone researchers in the Soviet Union. In order to unite the rocket enthusiasts, the Soviet government sanctioned to create a professional rocketry organization,
123
3.4.1 Soviet Societies on Rocketry and Astronautics
Justly under the effects of Tsiolkovsky’s works on aerospace science, the Soviet
Union was the first country to set up the societies on rocketry and astronautics and
became the country of the most that absorbed and trained the young reserve talents
in the field of space flight. Fridrikh Arturovitch Tsander (Fpidpix Aptypoviq
Candep, 1887−1933), a gifted rocketry expert in the Russian Empire and the Soviet
Union, was the early follower of Tsiolkovsky. He had systematically studied the
astronautic theories, including the energy required to reach the certain planet, the
work is done to launch a certain mass from the Earth to a far distance, the oxygen
needed for a person to fly in outer space and the metal materials used as rocket
fuels, and actively publicized and popularized the knowledge of space flight. Tsander
saw himself taking the theoretical groundwork laid at the turn of the century by
Tsiolkovsky and extending it to the practical reality of taking man into space. By
studying and publicizing space science, Tsander increasingly realized that space
flight, a long-term mission and an arduous work, would be achieved only by relying
on collective strength and wisdom.
In January 1924, Tsander gave a lecture entitled “Flight to Other Planets” to
the amateur astronomical association in Moscow, when he suggested setting up the
research organization on interplanetary travel, which received wide responses from
the audiences. Shortly thereafter, the research organization was set up officially and
named Society for Studies of Interplanetary Travel, which was a branch of the Military Science Department at Zhukovsky Air Force Academy. The Society became
a platform for scientists and space explorers to meet for discussions and organize
public educational events. The Society’s aims are to bring together researchers from
all over the Soviet Union devoted to space flight, investigate the progress on rocketry
and astronautics in Europe and the United States, sort out and publish the status of
space flight studying, promote the researches on rocket’s military applications, and
encourage individual research works. It is the first society of studying space flight in
the Soviet Union. At first, the Society had only 25 members and soon expanded to
almost 200, including the astronautic pioneer Tsiolkovsky and the popular science
writer Perelman. Tsander had attempted to lead the Society to develop and test liquid
rocket engine, but due to the lack of research funding support, the Society’s main
activities could only be theoretical studies, academic lectures and exhibitions on
astronautic science, and finally, the Society was disbanded in 1927. Under limited
conditions, Tsander independently developed the OR-1 reaction engine, which used
compressed air and gasoline and was able to produce a thrust of 0.145 kgf. In
1931, a glider pilot who was keen on rocketry and space flight, and a 24-yearold graduate from the Moscow Bauman Higher Technical School, Sergei Pavlovich
Korolev (Cepg´ e P´ avloviq Kopollv, 1907−1966), visited Tsander, hoping to
jointly develop the liquid-propellant rockets.
At the beginning of the 1930s, there were a number of amateur rocket research
groups and lone researchers in the Soviet Union. In order to unite the rocket enthusiasts, the Soviet government sanctioned to create a professional rocketry organization,