Alexander Kemurdzhian
Encyclopedia
Alexander Leonovich Kemurdzhian (4 October 1921, Vladikavkaz
- 25 February 2003, St Petersburg
) was a pioneering scientist, from Armenian origin, in the space flight program of the Soviet Union
. As chief designer at the VNIITransMash, he designed the first rover
s to explore another world, the Soviet Lunokhod rovers
.
After the Chernobyl disaster
, Kemurdzhian was tapped by Soviet
officials as a special advisor with regard to remote vehicles doing exploration and other work in unsafe areas.
Before his death, Kemurdzhian traveled to the United States
to visit with engineers from JPL and compare ideas on unmanned planetary rovers.
The Lunokhod programme, and specifically Kemurdzhian's work on it, was the subject of the documentary film "Tank on the Moon
" by French film maker Jean Afanassieff. The documentary premiered in the United States on the Science Channel on February 12, 2008.
Vladikavkaz
-Notable structures:In Vladikavkaz, there is a guyed TV mast, tall, built in 1961, which has six crossbars with gangways in two levels running from the mast structure to the guys.-Twin towns/sister cities:...
- 25 February 2003, St Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
) was a pioneering scientist, from Armenian origin, in the space flight program of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. As chief designer at the VNIITransMash, he designed the first rover
Rover (space exploration)
A rover is a space exploration vehicle designed to move across the surface of a planet or other astronomical body. Some rovers have been designed to transport members of a human spaceflight crew; others have been partially or fully autonomous robots...
s to explore another world, the Soviet Lunokhod rovers
Lunokhod programme
Lunokhod was a series of Soviet robotic lunar rovers designed to land on the Moon between 1969 and 1977. The 1969 Lunokhod 1A was destroyed during launch, the 1970 Lunokhod 1 and the 1973 Lunokhod 2 landed on the moon and the 1977 Lunokhod was never launched...
.
After the Chernobyl disaster
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
, Kemurdzhian was tapped by Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
officials as a special advisor with regard to remote vehicles doing exploration and other work in unsafe areas.
Before his death, Kemurdzhian traveled to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to visit with engineers from JPL and compare ideas on unmanned planetary rovers.
The Lunokhod programme, and specifically Kemurdzhian's work on it, was the subject of the documentary film "Tank on the Moon
Tank on the Moon
Tank on the Moon is a documentary film about the development, launch, and operation of the Soviet Moon exploration rovers, Lunokhod 1 and Lunokhod 2 in the period from 1970 to 1973. The film uses historical footage from American, Russian and French archives....
" by French film maker Jean Afanassieff. The documentary premiered in the United States on the Science Channel on February 12, 2008.