A summary of Andrei Zhirov’s "The Path to Space"

This book is a collection of dramatic works by Soviet writers, published in 1986. This title brings together texts by several authors, telling the history of Russian aeronautics and cosmonautics, from the first attempts to soar into the air in the 18th century to the expeditions to Mars planned by the writers for 2001. The collection demonstrates the evolution of human thought through the images of inventors, scientists, and pilots.

Based on one of the plays included in the book (Sergei Mikhalkov’s "The First Troika, or the Year 2001"), a children’s science fiction film, "The Great Space Journey," was made in 1974, with music written by Alexei Rybnikov.

Through the centuries to the sky

The opening text traces the fate of the eternal dreamer Ivan through different eras. In 1731, in Ryazan, Ivan, a petty official, is preparing for a hot air balloon flight. His beloved Marya begs Ivan to flee to Moscow. She offers him gold, but he refuses. Ivan takes to the air. The local governor, Lupatov, furiously demands that the daredevil be executed for blasphemy.

In 1881, Ivan served as a retired naval officer in St. Petersburg. He was building a large-scale model of a flying machine. An official named Lupatov brought a refusal from the state commission to fund the project. A visitor named Schneider suggested that Ivan move to Germany. Schneider wanted to develop the invention for commercial profit. Ivan flatly refused to leave his homeland.

By 1897, Ivan has become a poor teacher in Kaluga. Marya mourns their poverty and the deaths of their children. Worker Nikolai Petrovich convinces Ivan of the need for revolution on Earth, rejecting dreams of heaven. A telegram arrives: their son Ignatius has shot himself in Moscow. Ivan blames himself, but insists on the need to pave the way to the stars.

In 1914, Ivan serves as a military pilot near Kyiv. He performs dangerous loops in the air. A journalist experiences intense fear while watching the flight. Mechanic Sysoy defends Ivan from attacks by the press. Colonel Lupatov sternly orders him to stop risking the plane and his life. Marya reports the death of yet another pilot.

In 1929, Ivan is expelled from the Red Army. He flew under a bridge, looped numerous times, and crashed his plane. Former mechanic Sysoy is grazing cows on the banks of the Volga. Nikolai Petrovich, now a major, finds Ivan. He offers Ivan the chance to become a test pilot for a flight across the North Pole to America. Ivan is overjoyed. Marya brings Ivan their newborn son.

In 1961, Ivan and Stepan are preparing for their first space flight. They are standing in Red Square. Ivan is talking to Marya on the phone, hinting at the upcoming event. He is flying into space from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The dream of many generations is coming true.

The Story of a Revolutionary

The next section takes the reader to the story of Nikolai Kibalchich. In 1881, Kibalchich is imprisoned in a cell in the Peter and Paul Fortress. He was convicted of participating in the assassination of Tsar Alexander II. Instead of asking for clemency, he draws a jet aircraft. A former friend, the lawyer Zarzhevsky, comes to see him. Kibalchich asks that the rocket design be handed over to independent scientists.

Flashbacks show Kibalchich spreading fairy tales among the peasants. A peasant, Pritula, betrays him to the authorities. Kibalchich meets with the revolutionary Vera. He chooses revolutionary struggle, sacrificing his personal happiness. The conspirators prepare a bomb for the tsar. The assassination attempt is successful. In prison, a priest asks Kibalchich to repent. The inventor refuses. The authorities hide Kibalchich’s rocket design in an archive to avoid unnecessary talk. The genius of the doomed inventor is hidden from the world.

The dawn of the space age

The text returns to the actual events of 1961 at Baikonur. Chief designer Sergei Korolev (call sign "Zarya-One") prepares Yuri Gagarin ("Kedr") for his first flight.

Memories reveal a fierce battle over this launch. In 1959, Academician Gorshin chairs a meeting. Scientist Tomilin opposes manned space flights due to the high financial costs. He throws a bag of dry soil on the table. Tomilin demands the construction of irrigation canals, not spaceships. He proposes limiting himself to a short ballistic jump. Korolev vehemently advocates a full-fledged orbital flight. He thinks in terms of the future.

The ship’s development is facing obstacles. Engineer Larisa Presnyakova refuses to sign off on the brake system test report. Dangerous defects have been discovered. Korolev takes control of the situation. During one of the tests at the plant, engineer Boris Fatyanov is tragically killed.

Despite the losses, preparations continue. Gagarin launches into space. During descent, a telemetry error causes panic in the control center. The ground vehicle displays the number "3" instead of "5." The leaders prepare for the worst. Gagarin lands successfully. Korolev confidently speaks about humanity’s future in the universe.

Orbital test

The story continues with the tale of a dramatic flight. Test pilot Alexei Gorelov saves a jet plane from engine failure. He lands the falling aircraft, avoiding casualties in the city. In the hospital, he is interviewed by the persistent journalist Elektronna Kretova. General Rakitin invites Gorelov to join the cosmonaut corps.

At the hotel, a drunken Major Ubiyvovk harasses the duty officer, Anna Sergeyevna. Gorelov defends her. Later, Anna shows Gorelov the cemetery where her husband, an officer who died from radiation, is buried. Gorelov falls in love with Anna and marries her.

Gorelov, Tarasenko, and Severtsev launch aboard the Zarya spacecraft to dock with the Iskra orbital station. Cosmonaut Bystrov is in control of the station. During rendezvous, Zarya’s main engine fails, causing severe vibrations. Chief Designer Oleg Danilovich, Head of Operations Presnyakov, Flight Director Kremnev, and Ballistics Specialist Tatyana Kudryashova attempt to find a solution. Tension mounts in the control center. Presnyakov argues with Kremnev about sending the crew to bed.

The situation is critical. Without an engine, the crew will be unable to return to Earth. Mission control plans to direct the station toward the ship as a temporary refuge. The crew would have to wait a month. Gorelov decides to manually restart the damaged engine for descent. This poses a huge risk of explosion and overload. The engine lasts just long enough to bring the ship back into the atmosphere. The crew lands safely.

Preparing for a flight to Mars

The final chapter takes place in a fantastical future. Three teenagers — Fedya, Vadim, and Natasha — win a worldwide competition to fly to Mars in 2001. Fedya’s grandmother, Zoya Petrovna, categorically forbids him from participating. She only changes her mind after a flattering call from an American correspondent.

Cosmonaut German Titov gives the teenagers stern instructions before their mission. The children take their seats in the spaceplane. They endure liftoff, weightlessness, and see the stars. The radio broadcasts news of the free passage across Earth’s borders. Suddenly, the navigation systems fail. Earth orders an urgent return. The stars disappear outside the portholes. The hatch opens.

A space service worker informs the confused teenagers that they never flew anywhere. The boys stroll through the zoo, discuss a sleeping lion, and are angry at the deception. The entire flight turned out to be a complex simulation in a pressure chamber. Scientists were testing the crew’s psychological compatibility in an emergency situation. Fedya confesses to his friends: he accidentally learned about the simulation before the launch. He kept quiet so as not to ruin the test for his comrades. Titov praises the boy for his composure. The real flight to Mars begins on September 1, 2001. The teenagers listen to New Year’s greetings from Earth while in deep space.