MOSCOW — The year 2007 sees four space-related anniversaries: 150 years since the birth of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, the theoretician of cosmonautics, who translated the bold dream of space flight into math; 110 years since the birth of Alexander Chizhevsky, the founder of geliobiology, a new field of research into the influence of solar and geomagnetic activity on living beings; 100 years since the birth of Sergei Korolyov, who put cosmonautics on a practical plane; and 50 years since the start of the space era, ushered in by the launch of the Earth's first artificial satellite.

This coincidence is sooner logical than accidental. All jubilees are associated with man's eternal striving to perceive the surrounding world. A quest for knowledge encouraged people to travel and re-discover their own planet. People have always felt that the skies above harbor more meaning than the Earth.

Legends and fairy tales about flights to other planets emerged long before the first artificial satellite overcame Earth's gravity and made it into space 50 years ago, on Oct. 4, 1957. This was the first and most difficult step in conquering space. Tsiolkovsky said: "First of all, we should send a satellite beyond the atmosphere. The rest — even more remote flights from the solar system — will be relatively easy."

Tsiolkovsky believed that the universe consisted of elementary particles or atoms, which travel from one organism to another with amazing speed. Atoms set an example for the future organization of humanity. People will resettle to the planets of the solar system and later on to other galaxies. So far, all of his predictions have come true. He was the first to identify a rocket as a device that could fly into space and the first to calculate the speed that would allow it to separate from the Earth. He was also the first to propose using graphite rudders to steer a rocket in flight. Tsiolkovsky had a unique talent of foresight even in minor details.

Alexander Chizhevsky is not as well known as other trail-blazers in space, yet he was the founder of solar-earth research and the vast diversity of links between the Earth and outer space. He proved that the sun's activity has an effect on many terrestrial phenomena. His primacy in this field is universally recognized.

Chief designer Sergei Korolyov and cosmonautics theoretician Mstislav Keldysh played an enormous role in the development of the domestic space and missile industry. In the summer of 1946, Korolyov was placed in charge of designing long-range ballistic missiles, and in December of the same year Keldysh was appointed director of NII-1 (this was the new name for the prewar Jet Research Institute). They met shortly afterward and became co-workers and friends for many years to come.

Keldysh's work in NII-1 was closely interwoven with the studies of the Mathematical Institute at the Academy of Sciences, of which he was in charge. In 1949-53, it concentrated on rocket dynamics and applied mechanics of space flight. In 1953, the institute analyzed multistage rocket designs, ballistic descent of a space vehicle from orbit and ways of stabilizing it using terrestrial gravitation, with a view to returning cosmonauts from space.

In 1954, Keldysh and Korolyov sent a letter to the Soviet government, proposing the development of the Earth's first man-made satellite. Later on, Korolyov was in charge of many sophisticated missile and space projects, which involved dozens of academic and branch institutes, design bureaus and plants.

Fundamental science was no longer satisfied with Earth-based research, and was one of the catalysts in space exploration. Space offers an opportunity to study the most general principles of the universe, allowing us to apply the results for solving earthly problems.

Fundamental science creates a foundation for applied research and yields much more impressive results than narrow studies. All major branches of modern technology — electronics, nuclear engineering and nanotechnologies — have come out of fundamental science. Practical uses are not always obvious, especially at the early stages, but the ultimate results often surpass even the boldest expectations. Space research is a case in point — fundamental science not only theoretically justified the possibility of space flight but also made a most active contribution to turning them into reality.

Satellites and interplanetary stations have brought us unique knowledge about the universe. In effect, humanity has discovered near-Earth space. Before, scientists knew very little about its structure and content and could not explain many earthly phenomena, which appeared to be determined by conditions in space.

Study of other planets has thrown more light on the Earth's history and evolution. Initially, the early missions to the moon, Venus and Mars were more in the nature of pioneering, pure exploration — but in the long run they allowed scientists to make unique insights. Later studies of the solar system prompted the development of relative planetology, a science studying general regularities in the formation and evolution of planetary systems.

Observation of other planets may help scientists understand such cardinal mysteries as the necessary conditions for the emergence of life, the nature of the magnetic field, the formation of the atmosphere and hydrosphere, the chemical composition of the Earth's crust and the general laws for the concentration of mineral wealth. Recent years have seen a transition to systematic planetary research. There are two major fields of research — the emergence of the solar system, its evolution and future; and the origins of life, its evolution and presence in the solar system.

Space deployment of numerous astrophysical instruments has almost simultaneously given birth to new avenues of research — sub-millimeter, infra-red, and ultra-violet, X- and Gamma-ray astronomy. Studies of space objects in the hitherto inaccessible ranges of electromagnetic waves have produced several fundamental discoveries, which have deepened and changed the current ideas about the universe.

Thus, the discovery of sub-millimeter background radiation has replaced the cold universe theory with the hot model of the Big Bang. In the next 10 years, Russia is planning to launch space-based astrophysical labs that will allow scientists to conduct observations across the entire spectrum of electromagnetic waves. As a result, they will be able to study in detail planetary systems around other stars, learn about the emergence and development of life in the universe, understand in full the physical processes in the extreme conditions of neutron stars and black holes, and made radical progress in studying space properties — including time, electromagnetic particles and the universe's evolution.

Cosmonautics has been important not only for science and technology — it has been vital in solving global problems of communication, navigation, forecasting of natural disasters, and comprehensive study of the planet's geography. Communication satellites have linked the continents. Without meteorological satellites, we could not even think of modern weather forecasts. From space we are controlling different distress systems.

In effect, cosmonautics has long become a socioeconomic industry and this fact largely determines its future.

Yury Zaitsev is an expert with the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He wrote this for the Russian News and Information Agency Novosti.