Аннотация: Friedrich Zander: between Tsiolkovsky and Korolev (1904-1933). Historical and biographical note.
Friedrich Zander: between Tsiolkovsky and Korolev (1904-1933). A historical and biographical memo.
Friedrich Zander (1887 - 1933) was born in Riga into the family of a doctor (who came from a merchant family). Friedrich Zander's mother (Elena Gottschalk) was the daughter of a musician. She died when Friedrich was two years old. Zander was fluent in Russian and German.
In 1898 Friedrich Zander entered the Riga City Real School. In 1904, the teacher read in the class, where Zander studied, part of the article by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky "Exploration of Outer Space by Means of Rocket Devices" (one of the most important work by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, published in May 1903).
Since about 1909, Friedrich Zander has been working on the problems of space flight.
The book by D.Ya. Zilmanovich "Pioneer of the Soviet rocketry Friedrich Zander" (1966) is dedicated to Friedrich Zander. The book is overloaded with technical terminology and contains almost no information about the personal life of Friedrich Zander. The information in this book, it seems to us, is not sufficiently distributed according to the levels of significance and according to logical relationships (links). The general impression after reading this book: Zander is a genius person who was not understood by those around him, and who was seriously unlucky (in the generally accepted meaning).
At the same time, Friedrich Arturovich Zander (Georg Arthur Constantin Friedrich Zander) is one of the generally recognized founders of Soviet cosmonautics.
It is quite natural not only to recognize his genius, but also to understand his place in the history of Soviet cosmonautics.
Zander corresponded with Tsiolkovsky and actively developed theoretical questions of space flight. In addition to developing the theory, Zander performed numerous mathematical calculations.
In 1930-1931, Friedrich Zander built and tested the OR-1 jet engine on compressed air and gasoline (was based on a modified blowtorch).
General sentiments (the attitude to space issues as "lunar fantasies") significantly influenced the conditions, the prospects for the work of Friedrich Zander, to his entire life.
The constant lack of money, a kind of reputation for a brilliant, but not entirely understandable, scientist accompanied him from 1909 to 1917 and from 1917 to 1932.
In 1930, Sergei Korolev completed his studies and received the specialty of an aeromechanical engineer. For many years he built gliders, flew them, and he formed stable connections in Osoaviakhim. (The Society for the Assistance of Defense, Aircraft and Chemical Construction was a Soviet socio-political defense organization that existed in USSR from 1927-1948. It was the predecessor of DOSAAF.)
In 1930, on a glider designed by Sergei Korolev, pilot Vasily Stepanchonok performed three Nesterov loops for the first time in the history of non-motorized flight. It was a historic event, although it was not of the first level. At this time, Korolyov fell ill with typhus. Perhaps during the recovery period, he read the works of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky and was carried away by his ideas.
In Osoaviakhim Korolev was known as a person with a history of success - he knew how to design gliders (and airplanes) and fly them.
During this period, after completing his studies, Sergei Korolev got acquainted Friedrich Zander. They both understood the enormous potential of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky's ideas.
Sergei Korolev goes into Osoaviakhim not with the idea of space flight, not with a "lunar fantasies", but with the idea of a glider equipped with a jet engine. The term "rocket plane" appears.
The gliders are clear to the management of Osoaviakhim. The idea of a glider with a jet engine is understandable.
Korolev is known in Osoaviakhim both as a successful and qualified person.
In 1932, by the decision of the Presidium of the Central Council of Osoaviakhim, a research and development organization for the development of missiles and engines was created in Moscow - GIRD (Group for the Study of Reactive Motion). Osoaviakhim started financing GIRD. Sergei Korolev was appointed head of the GIRD. The group of Friedrich Zander was admitted to the staff of the GIRD (previously Zander worked on a voluntary basis).
The theme of the GIRD's work was creatively transformed: a glider with a jet engine turned into a rocket plane and a cruise missile. Added to this: the development of liquid-propellant ballistic missiles; a jet engines and a gas-dynamic test facilities.
In a sense - informally - the head of the GIRD Sergei Korolev becomes a designer of ballistic missiles. Naturally, the significance and scientific weight of the GIRD were largely determined by the work in the GIRD of the impractical, underestimated, in some sense unlucky - but brilliant, rich in ideas - Friedrich Zander.
Sergei Korolev, the head of the GIRD, found support from Mikhail Tukhachevsky.
'When the deputy of the People's Commissar [Mikhail Tukhachevsky] arrived, Sergei Pavlovich [Korolev] met him, took him to all the brigades. Mikhail Nikolaevich, smart, collected, attentive, listened with interest to Zander and the leaders of other brigades. Friedrich Arturovich, as usual, connected the work of the GIRD with flights to the Moon and Mars. Tukhachevsky was not surprised, but said with sympathy:
- Yes, yes, flights to the planets will not be soon, but we ought to think about them ... '(Astashenkov P. 'Academician Korolev').
Since August 1932, the GIRD was funded by the Office of Military Inventions of the Red Army.
On August 17, 1933, the first Soviet liquid-propellant rocket GIRD-09 was launched, and on November 25, 1933, the GIRD-X missile.
In 1933, the GIRD merged with the Leningrad Gas Dynamics Laboratory (GDL). The Reaction-Engine Scientific Research Institute (RNII) was created. Since November 15, 1933, the new institute of the RNII is under the patronage of the People's Commissariat of Heavy Industry of the USSR.
March 28, 1933: Friedrich Zander dies of typhus in the city of Kislovodsk.
As for Sergei Korolev, then in the pre-war period Korolev was repressed (1938), the topic of ballistic missiles gives way to the topic of rockets shells.
After the successes of Werhner von Braun, Sergei Korolev was released from punishment (1944).
Largely thanks to the efforts of Lev Gaidukov Sergei Korolev was appointed (1946-1947) chief designer of long-range ballistic missiles.
In the book by Zilmanovich "The pioneer of Soviet rocketry, Friedrich Zander" (1966), a huge volume of not decrypted (and unpublished) works by Friedrich Zander, dedicated to the themes of space flights, is repeatedly mentioned.
Friedrich Zander, a man fascinated by cosmonautics, helped Sergei Korolev enter space orbit.
In the post-war period, Sergei Korolev found Zander's grave in Kislovodsk. In 1957, in the year when Zander's 70th birthday was celebrated, a tombstone with a bust of Friedrich Zander was erected at the Kislovodsky cemetery.
July 7, 2021 09:54
Translation from Russian into English: July 7, 2021 19:44.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Фридрих Цандер: между Циолковским и Королёвым (1904-1933). Историко-биографическая заметка'.