MAKSUTOV
Dmitry Dmitriyevich
An outstanding scientist-optician and world-known inventor in
various fields of astronomic instrument-making. Doctor of Technical
Sciences (1941), Professor (1944), a corresponding member of the
Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1946). Twice Laureate of the National
Prize of the USSR (1941, 1946).
Born in Odessa (1896) to a family of a seaman. Since childhood
he was fond of astronomy; at 12-13 he made reflectors with diameters
180 and 210 mm and carried out serious astronomic observations.
At 15 he was elected a member of the Russian Astronomic Society. He finished
School for Military Engineers in Petersburg (1914). In 1920 he was
invited to work at GOI. In 1921-1930 he continued to work in the field
of astronomic optics in the Physical Institute of the University of
Odessa, in 1930-1952 he headed the Laboratory of Astronomic Optics at
GOI, from 1952 he worked as Deputy Head of the Department of the
Central Astronomic Observatory of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR
(Pulkovo).
The most important invention - meniscus
telescopes (1941) made
D.D. Maksutov a world-scale scientist. The Maksutov's Meniscus
telescopes are built in all countries. The largest ones created at GOI
have the diameter of the meniscus 500 mm for the observatory in Alma-Ata
(1941) and 700 mm (the mirror diameter 980 mm) for the Abastumansk
observatory (1954). At LOMO under the guidance of B.K. Ioannisiani the
meniscus telescopes were created with diameter 2.6 m (1961) for the
Crimea observatory and 6 m (1976) for the observatory in Zyelyenchuk
(the Northern Caucasus).
A considerable contribution was made by Maksutov in the investigation
methods of the quality of mirrors. He had proposed a compensating
method (1924) which was used for building a 2.6 m reflector named after
G.A. Shain for the Crimea observatory (1932) and became, equally with a
shadow method, the main control method of mirror study. The
possibilities of shadow methods were also developed by Maksutov in an
original way (1934) making them quantitative methods of the surface
configuration (the slot-and-thread method) out of qualitative ones.
He created methods and instruments for high precision quality control
of optical glass on its initial processing stage widely used in
industry. Maksutov created a great many objectives, mirrors, lenses and
prisms of various sizes and purposes, he was a first-class technologist
and expert-optician. He was the first to develop the manufacturing
technology and to create mirrors from metal which he considered to be
of great importance; under his guidance at Pulkovo a powerful
light-weight parabolic mirror with diameter 720 mm was manufactured
(1950-1955). Maksutov managed the works on creating a model (mirror
diameter 700 mm) of a big altazimuth telescope BTA (from 1952). He
calculated a meniscus system of telescope for observations in the
southern hemisphere with diameter of the meniscus 700 mm (the telescope
is mounted in Chile), etc.
Side by side with astronomic optics
D.D. Maksutov created the following:
a photogastrograph - the instrument for photographing the stomach, a
needle-microscope, shadow instruments for aerodynamic tunnels,
telescopic spectacles and other instruments.
His main scientific works are basic: "The minimal and maximal
magnification of the telescope", "A singe-lens eye-piece without
chromatic magnification difference" (1920-1930), "Anaberration
reflecting surfaces and systems and the new testing methods " (1932),
"Shadow methods of optical systems study" (1934), "New cadatrioptic
optical systems" (1944), "Astronomic optics" (1946), "Manufacture and
study of astronomic optics" (1948), "New methods of investigating the
mirror shape of large telescopes" (1957), etc.
D.D. Maksutov was elected a Leningrad Soviet deputy (1962), he
was twice awarded with Lenin Order (1945, 1958), Order "The Badge of
Honour" (1943), many medals, including the "Grand Prix" at the World
Exhibition in Brussels (1958) and a Big Gold Medal of the Exhibition of
the Achievements of the National Economy (1962).