CEC Star

KEC stands for Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky , the writer dedicated this book to a scientist. It describes travel into space . The society that created the CEC Star and rockets was guided by Tsiolkovsky's research. The novel also has a journey to the moon , the reverse side of which collapses and evaporates, and, as it turns out, on the moon there is life in the form of green plants.

In 1935-1938, Belyaev and his family lived in Leningrad, on the Petrograd side. His disease progressed, he was in a cast for a long time and practically did not get out of bed. In 1936, he went on a ticket for treatment to Yevpatoria . Nevertheless, being in this state, he wrote about space. Together with the novel “Leap into Nothing”, the “Katz Star” became one of the first works of Soviet science fiction about space exploration (both are dedicated to Tsiolkovsky). The novel “Katz Star” popularizes the ideas of K. E. Tsiolkovsky, whose admirer was Belyaev. It was first published in the magazine " Around the World " (1936, No. 2-11). It is interesting that the name of the novel is often spelled “CEC Star”, apparently remembering that these are Tsiolkovsky’s initials, which, however, is erroneous, since Belyaev not only wrote “Kets”, but inclined him: “You seem to have matured successfully Katze ... ”(as the heroes said, who could well incline the name of their station for convenience).

The young biologist Leonid Artemyev, on behalf of whom the narration is being conducted, had a charming neighbor Antonina Ivanovna, whom he affectionately called Tonya. Tonya was also a scientist, and he was interested in her. Once Leonid turned up a reason to visit Ton and get to know better - Leonid's radio broke. A few days after Antonina corrected him, Leonid ruined it on purpose and entered the second time. Having examined the malfunction, Antonina refused to repair. After a short time, Leonid himself told her that the radio was working. From this time began their communication and joint walks in Leningrad . When Leonid walked alone, he met some black-bearded man. The oncoming party asked if Leonid knew Tonya and asked her to convey to her about Paley, as well as the words of the Pamir and KEC. Hearing this, Tonya immediately decides to go somewhere and offers Leonid to go with her. After reflection, Leonid agrees, and they ride a rocket to the Pamirs . There Leonid and Antonina recognize the surname of a black-bearded man - Evgeniev - and that he went to the CEC star. Antonina explains to Leonid that she and Paley carried out scientific work in the field of electrical engineering, Paley kept all the notes and unexpectedly left, leaving her nothing. Without these notes, she cannot finish this work, and therefore wants to find Paley.

In the Pamirs, new things are revealed to him. The narrator learns that from here rockets fly into space and return. Soon, the heroes go into space, on the Star CEC. This is the second artificial Earth satellite, on which people live and study space. The satellite, rockets, and many other things are made according to Tsiolkovsky’s projects, and for this reason they bear such a name - the initials of the scientist.

From the CEC Star, Artemyev and several other people go to the moon, where they make amazing discoveries. They fly in a rocket machine over the back of the satellite and discover a huge crack. From here they conclude that the Moon is cracking and dying, as a result of which, after several hundred years, instead of the Moon, the Earth will have a ring similar to the rings of Saturn . Artemyev finds signs of life on the surface of the moon. These are green plants (creeping mosses) that stick to stones and take their energy. He also sees a creature resembling a stone, which is little described in the book. While on the moon, Leonid finds a cemetery of unknown animals and plants unknown to science; also the expedition found many gems.

Upon his return, Artemyev went to work in a zoo, where he became friends with the flying dog Gypsy. On the second satellite, scientists have grown huge fruits and vegetables (the size of a person), using transformed solar energy. There are also animal hybrids in which mutations began under the influence of cosmic rays. Gypsy turned out to be an extremely intelligent dog that understands human speech. Leonid begins to teach Gypsy to respond to people, although only he understands these answers. In the process, Leonid notes that the employee Kramer begins to change his character, in particular, there are sharp mood swings and he suspects other people of something that is known only to him. During one of his visits to the laboratory, Kramer expressed a desire to talk privately with Zorina, and Leonid leaves them. But next to them is Jeepsey, who for the first time refused to obey Leonid and told him that she would guard Zorina. After some time, from the laboratory there was a noise and barking of Gypsy. Returning there, Leonid saw that Kramer was strangling Zorin. While Leonid was trying to save an employee, Jeepsey, on command, raised the alarm by pressing the desired button. Arriving at the scene, Kramer was tied up and taken to a doctor. It turned out that Kramer fell ill due to the prolonged action of cosmic radiation.

It was 8 months after Leonid left Earth. The CEC star was preparing to celebrate the anniversary of its creation. At the ceremonial report, the director summed up the stellar year, calling Yevgeny Evgeniev the true hero and conqueror of star space. At the very first words of his report, Antonina turned pale, answering Leonid that it was Paley, she recognized him by her voice. After the ceremonial part, a conversation took place between Evgeniev-Paley and Antonina and Leonid. He explained that during the marriage he took the name of his wife. Antonina called Leonid her fiancé. And Paley said that all the records remained with his sister, who lives next to Antonina.

The novel concludes with a short description of events a few years later. Leonid and Antonina became husband and wife, they have a schoolboy son. Leonid became a professor, as did Antonina. And this book was born because Leonid wanted to relive all the adventures associated with his unusual marriage.

• Leonid Vasilievich Artemyev - biologist, on whose behalf the narrative is being conducted
• Antonina Ivanovna Gerasimova, Tonya - Assistant at the Physics Institute, Artemyev’s neighbor
• Eugene Paley-Eugenev - Tony's fellow at the university

at Katz Star and nearby stations:

• Kramer - laboratory biologist
• Anna Ignatievna Möller - a doctor at the Katz Star
• Elsa Nielsen - Librarian at the Katz Star
• Andrey Pavlovich Shlykov - biologist
• Fedor G. Tyurin - astronomer at the Observatory
• Boris Mikhailovich Sokolovsky - geologist
• Parkhomenko - Director of the Katz Star
• Andrey Pavlovich Kistenko - aerologist
• Vera Zorina, Faleev - biologists

• Belyaev Alexander Romanovich. Collected works in 8 volumes, volume 6. (CEC star. - Dublé Laboratory. - A wonderful eye.) Ill. S. Zabalueva. M., The Young Guard, 1964, 464 pp. with ill. with. 5-182.

• "Star CEC". "Bookshelf"
• Alexander Belyaev. Katz Star (text of the novel on the site Lib.Ru).
• Svetlana Belyaeva "The star flickers outside the window ..." (Alexander Romanovich Belyaev Romanov. Stories. Stories / Library of World Literature. M., Eksmo, 2008.)