The Presidential Library presents the rarities on space exploration

April 12, 2017, marks the 56th anniversary of the first manned space flight. The Presidential Library offers users a chance to get familiar with a number of materials presented in the Open Space collection.

Among them - commemorative editions of newspapers from April 12, 1961, postcards, medals, photographs and books on space exploration, including those written by the astronauts themselves. A clear picture of the first launches and conquerors of space is given by newsreel footages, especially in their color versions. A selection of research works by K. E. Tsiolkovsky is accompanied by his novellas about the conquest of the cosmos.

Often, in science a single creative fluid becomes an impulsion for the development of an entire promising field of research. In the work published by Tsiolkovsky in 1903, The exploration of cosmic space by means of reaction devices, he makes a confession: “The desire for space travels is laid in me by the renown dreamer J. Verne. He has awoken a work of Mind in this direction.”

“There was no movement in the balloon basket either in the horizontal or in the vertical direction. So it seemed that the horizon is constantly at the same height. Only its radius increased, and the ground under the basket was going down like into a funnel,” - wrote Jules Verne in the documentary essay “Twenty-four minutes in a balloon.” The reading filled with the enthusiasm an ordinary Kaluga physics teacher, burdened with a large family, the debts and a pressing routine of everyday life. But Tsiolkovsky did not let a prose of life to overcome himself, because he has rekindled dreams of conquering the cosmic space, and sat down for mathematical calculations of the injection the rockets that he invented into orbit.” Following desires, - continues the author of The exploration of cosmic space by means of reaction devices - the activity of the mind arose. Of course, it would not lead to anything if it did not get any help of science. From very young age, I found a way to spaceflights. It is in the centrifugal force and rapid movement, see my “Dreams of the Earth and sky” of 1895.”

Everything what Tsiolkovsky was talking about and to what devoted to his life, has turned into reality. On April 12, 1961, in the Soviet Union the first spacecraft-satellite named “Vostok” with a man on board - the pilot-cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin - was put into the Earth orbit. The age-old dream of mankind has come true.

On the world's first human flight into outer space article was published in the issue of the “Smena” Leningrad newspaper on April 13, 1961: “The launch of the cosmic multistage rocket was successful, and after the first space velocity was reached, and the last stage of the launch vehicle was separated, the ship-satellite began a free flight in orbit around the Earth.”

The Presidential Library has an electronic collection of books written by Yuri Gagarin: “The Road to Space,” “I See the Earth,” “Psychology and Space,” and other publications. And if Jules Verne in the article cited above saw the Earth from a height of 1200 meters, then Gagarin testified: “From an altitude of 300 kilometers, the illuminated surface of the Earth is seen very well. Observing the surface of the Earth, I saw clouds and light shadows over them, which were covering the fields, forests and seas. When I flew above our country, I clearly saw the squares of collective farm fields.” The Space Pilots movie of 2005 is told of the fate of unknown heroes of the industry - academician V. A. Ponomarenko, doctor-researcher A. Z. Mnatsakanyan and others. The movie is based on unique video materials made during secret trials with human participation, conducted at the Research Institute of Aviation and Space Medicine, and on later footage.

On the frames shot on April 12, 1961, is the Baikonur launch area. The future first cosmonaut of the Earth travels by bus to the launch site, bids farewell to design engineer Korolev, then settles in the cabin and takes off. In the newsreel, presented on the Presidential Library website, you can also see German Titov - the second Soviet cosmonaut, and Valentina Tereshkova - the only woman in the world who performed a solo space flight.

But, of course, in his artistic texts, the imagination of Tsiolkovsky was far ahead of time. In the optimistic story of 1920 Outside the Earth Konstantin Eduardovich writes about the travels of Russians to the Moon, to Mars, to other planets. In the chapter “The state of mankind in 2017” the author seems to model a socio-political environment in which only such a success in space is made possible: “There was one principle in the entire Earth: a congress made up of representatives of all states. It existed for more than 70 years and solved all the issues relating to mankind. Misunderstandings between the nations were settled peacefully. The armies were very limited. Huge metal airships, shipping thousands of tons, made the traveling and freight transportation convenient and cheap.”

The Presidential Library pays special attention to the space exploration. One of the historical calendars of the library was dedicated to the “Cinema and space” theme. Traditionally, Astronautics Day in the Presidential Library is celebrated with a series of events. This year, the “Astronautics Day in the Presidential Library” conference will be held on April 12. The cadets of the Mozhaysky Military Space Academy, the students of the Baltic State Technical University -“VOENMEKH” named after D. F. Ustinov and St. Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation, representatives of the North-West Interregional Public Organization of the Federation of Cosmonautics of the Russian Federation and the “Mir” (the world) Youth Public Organization will participate in the event.