Answer
Sergei Korolev, a renowned Soviet rocket engineer, drew inspiration from the pioneering work of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. Tsiolkovsky's theoretical insights into spaceflight, particularly his "rocket equation," laid the groundwork for Korolev's practical achievements. Korolev's leadership in the Soviet space program led to the launch of Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, and the historic flight of Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space.