Lyapunov B.V. Discovery of the World (Otkrytie mira): Scientific and Artistic Essays on the Prospects of Interplanetary Travel, 1956. In Russian

Ляпунов Б.В.
Открытие мира. Научно-художественные очерки о перспективах межпланетных путешествий.
Художник Н. Гришин.
Москва: Молодая гвардия, 1956.
159 с., 7 л. ил.: ил.; твердый переплет, 23 см.

Lyapunov B.V.
Discovery of the World (Otkrytie mira): Scientific and Artistic Essays on the Prospects of Interplanetary Travel.
Artist N. Grishin.
Moscow: Molodaya Gvardiya, 1956.
159 pp., 7 plates ill.: ill.; hardcover, 23 cm.

Boris Valerianovich Lyapunov (1921–1972) was a prominent Soviet science popularizer, science fiction writer, journalist, and bibliographer, one of the key figures in mid-20th-century Soviet literature on space exploration and rocketry. A passionate advocate of cosmonautics from the early postwar years, he authored numerous books, essays, and articles that bridged scientific facts with visionary speculation, inspiring generations of young readers during the dawn of the Space Age. Lyapunov frequently collaborated with leading Soviet space scientists and drew on the latest developments in rocketry (from Tsiolkovsky’s legacy to Korolev’s designs) to outline realistic yet exciting prospects for interplanetary flight.
Published in 1956 — just one year before Sputnik 1 — this book is a vivid example of optimistic pre-Sputnik Soviet futurism. In a series of scientific-artistic essays, Lyapunov explores the technical, philosophical, and human dimensions of future space travel: multi-stage rockets, orbital stations, lunar bases, missions to Mars and Venus, life support systems, weightlessness effects, and the psychological challenges of long-duration flights. He combines rigorous popular science explanations with imaginative scenarios, making the book both educational and inspirational for teenagers and general readers.