Amazing annotated notes, four pages (three printed on two sides), 7.5 x 10.5, notes penned by Yuri Gagarin, the first astronaut. The document represents a report on a study entitled ‘The Study of the Dynamic of the Automated Control of Longitudinal Movement.’ The work was done in the fall of 1967 at the Military Air and Space Forces Engineering Academy during the study period of the first group of astronauts recruited by the Soviet Military Air Force. Three of the pages bear color illustrations describing transitional processes of the aircraft at the angle of attack and other relevant conditions. The last page of the report includes the conclusions of the study about the stability of an aircraft, differences between real and ideal autopilot systems, and the dependencies of the quality of stabilization. The course was taught by the consignor’s grandfather. Afterward, the report was presented to her grandfather as a keepsake. Accompanied by an unsigned 9 x 6.5 pearl-finish photo of several cosmonauts, including Gagarin, Popovich, Leonov, Titov, Bykovski, and Nokolaev. According to the consignor, this photo is the only one of its kind in existence, with the negative and all other known copies destroyed long ago. In very good condition, with expected creasing and toning to the paper and scuff marks to the photo. The fact that these handwritten notations of Gagarin have survived is nothing short of a miracle, as most of his work has been either archived or simply no longer exists! Pre-certified Scott Cornish and RR Auction COA.
