"Liftoff: from Tsiolkovsky to Venus": new podcast of the National Centre RUSSIA explores Russian Cosmism and the road to the stars

On 10 July, a new episode of the podcast series "8 Steps Across Russia", named "Liftoff: From Tsiolkovsky to Venus", was released. The podcast series is the original project of the National Centre RUSSIA, and its latest instalment is devoted to Russian Cosmism. It explores how the ideas of philosophers, scientists and engineers transformed the dream of spaceflight into reality.

Together with the host, listeners have a chance to embark on "8 Steps Across Russia" — from the earliest sketches and poetic visions to steel rockets and the legendary cry of "Poyekhali!" ("Let's go!"). The episode focuses on how a library reading room steeped in the spirit of the past became a source of new ideas and the starting point for humanity's space achievements.

The episode features Anastasia Gacheva, Chief Librarian of Library No. 180 named after Nikolai Fyodorov and Doctor of Philology; Lev Zelyony, Scientific Director of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences; Dmitry Shishkin, Adviser to the Rector of Bauman Moscow State Technical University and Candidate of Philosophy; and Ivan Karpushkin, technocultural researcher and co-founder of the Heritage XXI club.

Among the episode's key themes are the emergence of Russian Cosmism as a distinctive philosophical movement, the role of Mikhail Lomonosov and Nikolai Fyodorov in shaping a new vision of humanity and the universe, Konstantin Tsiolkovsky's journey from a hearing-impaired teenager to the founder of cosmonautics, and how military technologies and ballistic missiles ultimately became stepping stones to peaceful space flights.

The episode also features unique facts and stories, including how Sergei Korolev devised an ingenious solution that enabled the first artificial Earth satellite to be placed into orbit. Special attention is given to the symbolic connection between two figures bearing the surname Gagarin — the philosopher Nikolai Fyodorov (Gagarin) and the world's first cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin.

Watch "Liftoff: From Tsiolkovsky to Venus" and other episodes of the "8 Steps Across Russia" podcast on the National Centre RUSSIA website and on the official social media channels of the National Centre RUSSIA.