Nikolai Kibalchich - Final Letter

Final Letter

The Dream of a propulsive device by a Scientist that was stolen by death

"I, Mykolaj Kybalchych, am writing down this design in prison with several days to go before my execution. I believed in the practicability of my idea and this belief sustains me in my appalling situation by scientists and specialists who show my idea to be practicable, I will feel happy in the knowledge that I have rendered an immense service to my country and mankind. I will then calmly meet death, knowing that my idea will not die with me but will remain with mankind for which I prepared to sacrifice my life. That is why I pray to those scientists who will examine my design that they treat it with the utmost seriousness and good faith and let me know their answer as soon as possible.

First and foremost I need it necessary to note that, when at large, I did not have time to elaborate my design in details and prove its feasibility mathematically. Now it is, of course impossible for me to obtain the materials necessary for that. Consequently, this task that of substantiating my design with mathematical calculation will have to be done by those experts into whose hands my design will find its way.

Besides, I am not familiar with the mass of similar design which have, appeared lately; that is to say I am aware of the idea behind those designs but I am not familiar with the way whereby the inventors hope to carry them out. As far as I know, however my idea has not yet been proposed by anyone else.

In my thought about an aeronautic machine I have concentrated mainly on this question: what force has to be applied in order to set such machine in motion? In my opinion it is slowly burning explosive substances that can provide such a force.

In fact, the combustion of explosive substance results with a comparative rapidity in large quantity of gases possessing a huge energy at the instance of their formation. But can one use the energy of gases, formed by explosive ignition, to perform work of any duration? This is possible only if the huge energy of explosive combustion, rather than last instantaneously, will be generated during a more or less prolonged period of time.”