Konstantin Tsiolkovsky was a Russian aeronautical researcher born on September 17, 1857. He pioneered rocket and space research with his contributions in theorizing the problems of rocket propulsion and space travel. He was a self-taught academic who acquired all his knowledge through reading and practice, as his deafness prevented him from attending school in his early years. He died on September 19, 1935. Tsiolkovsky was very interested in the philosophy of space and the engineering needed to make space flight possible. "The Exploration of Outer Space by Reaction Devices", one of his most significant works published in 1903, is considered the first academic article on rocketry. Tsiolkovsky was the first to provide an estimate of the escape velocity needed to achieve the smallest possible orbit around the Earth; proposed that its estimated 8 km/s could be achieved by means of a multistage rocket powered by liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, remarkably similar to the fuel system used by modern rocket sequences. He stated, however, that the speed and range of a rocket were limited by the speed of the exhaust gases escaping from the rocket. He also suggested quartz windows and an outer layer fabricated of refractory substances to protect the spacecraft from heat buildup while moving through the atmosphere, and air locks during atmospheric exit. He was also able to describe that the main characteristics of the movement of objects are determined only by the interaction forces between distinguishable objects in a given mechanical system. He also deduced that the "Laws of Conservation of Dynamic Quantities" (i.e. momentum and kinetic energy) have considerable relevance when talking about motion. The former...... middle of paper ......sources like these to ensure reliable, valid and accurate research, eliminating any falsehood. Works Cited Wikipedia. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konstantin_Tsiolkovsky (accessed November 28, 2011).Various. Tsiolkovsky's legacy. -. http://www.russianspaceweb.com/tsiolkovsky_legacy.html (accessed November 22, 2011).Anon. “Space and Astronomy: Decade by Decade.” Scribd. 2007. http://www.scribd.com/doc/48934293/Space-and-Astronomy-Decade-by-Decade-2007 (accessed 21 November 2011).Duchamp, Marcel. Konstantin Tchokovsky. 17 September 2010. http://marcinchains.wordpress.com/2010/09/17/konstantin-tsiolkovsky-september-17-1857-september-19-1935/ (accessed 24 November 2011). Kosmodemyansky, Prof. A In Konstanin Tsiolkovsky: His Life and Work, translated by X. Danko, 8-14. Honolulu, Hawaii: University Press of the Pacific, 2000.