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166
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RIABOUCHINSKY Dimitri (1882–1962) – Autograph
• Memoirs of t…
See original version (French)
166
-
RIABOUCHINSKY Dimitri (1882–1962) – Autograph
• Memoirs of t…
See original version (French)
Estimate €1,000 - €1,500
Voluntary lot
Description
RIABOUCHINSKY Dimitri (1882–1962) – Autograph
• Memoirs of the circumstances in which I left our homeland at the end of 1918. Manuscript, undated, 6 pp., 27 × 21 cm; same text, typescript with handwritten corrections, 8 pp., 27 × 21 cm.
A unique document recounting the activities of the Kuchino Institute prior to the First World War and Dimitri Riabouchinsky’s plans to incorporate the field of astronautics into the institute’s remit: ‘I already considered at the time that the problem of interplanetary flight was theoretically solvable, as the significant results obtained to date have confirmed. But I also foresaw that many of those who then regarded this problem as utopian would criticise me (…) ’ The war drastically altered the plans, and research at Kuchino was redirected towards military developments. During this new military research, the ‘ballistic wheel’ and the recoilless gun emerged, the latter having been tested at the Petrograd firing range on 24 October 1916. “But from the start of 1917, all productive work in Russia became impossible.” From the very first day of the revolution, many of the most eminent artillery technicians were simply killed. Dimitri Riabouchinsky’s wife and their children left for Crimea, whilst he himself remained in Moscow in the hope of protecting the Aerodynamic Institute. In an attempt to save his colleagues and the institute itself, Dimitri Riabouchinsky proposed the nationalisation of the institute. Shortly afterwards, Moisei Uritsky himself forbade Dimitri Riabouchinsky from leaving Petrograd; the situation was coming to a head. ‘(…) the next morning, a detachment of soldiers burst into my room, and their commander informed me that I was under arrest. ‘But why on earth,’ I asked, ‘when yesterday Uritsky said I was free? ’ — ‘Uritsky has been killed,’ they replied.” Dimitri Riabouchinsky spent a month in detention and was released thanks to the tireless efforts of his colleagues at the Academy of Sciences. Thanks to the efforts of several of them and of Maxim Gorky himself, an agreement for a trip to Denmark was quickly signed for Dimitri Riabushinsky. He left Petrograd on 24 October 1918.
Russian Art
Dmitry Ryabushinsky (1882–1962) – Autograph
• Memoirs of the circumstances under which I left our homeland at the end of 1918. Manuscript, undated, 6 pp., 27 x 21 cm; The same text, typescript with handwritten corrections, 8 pp., 27 x 21 cm.
A unique document describing the work of the Institute in Kuchino prior to the First World War and Dmitry Ryabushinsky’s plans to include the problem of spaceflight within the Institute’s field of study: ‘Even then, I considered the problem of interplanetary flight to be theoretically solvable, as has been confirmed by the significant results achieved to date. But I also foresaw that many who regarded this problem as utopian at the time would criticise me (…)’ The war significantly altered plans, and research at Kuchino was redirected towards military development. In the course of this new military research, the ‘ballistic wheel’ and a recoilless gun emerged, the latter having been tested at the Petrograd firing range on 24 October 1916. “But from the beginning of 1917, any productive work in Russia became impossible.” On the very first day of the revolution, many of the most prominent artillery engineers were simply killed. Dmitry Ryabushinsky’s wife and children left for Crimea, whilst he remained in Moscow in the hope of protecting the Aerodynamic Institute. In an attempt to save his staff and the institution itself, Dmitry Ryabushinsky put forward a proposal to nationalise the institute. Soon, Dmitry Ryabushinsky was personally forbidden by Moisey Uritsky from leaving Petrograd; the situation was coming to a head. ‘(…) the following morning, a platoon of soldiers was brought into my room, and their commander informed me that I was under arrest. ‘But why?’ I asked. ‘Yesterday Uritsky said I was free.’ ‘Uritsky has been killed,’ came the reply.” Dmitry Ryabushinsky spent a month under arrest and was released thanks to the tireless efforts of colleagues from the Academy of Sciences. Through the efforts of a number of them, and of Maxim Gorky himself, Dmitry Ryabushinsky was quickly issued with a travel order to Denmark. Dmitry Ryabushinsky left Petrograd on 24 October 1918.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
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