Aleksandr Leonovich Kemurdzhian (russian: Александр Леонович Кемурджиан;
4 October 192125 February 2003) was a
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
mechanical engineer who worked at the
VNIITransmash
Mobile Vehicle Engineering Institute (russian: ВНИИТрансмаш, VNIITransmash) is a company based in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is currently part of Uralvagonzavod.
It designed and built prototypes of tanks, including the T-80, for the ...
institute for the most of the second half of the 20th century. He is best known for designing the metal chases for ''
Lunokhod 1
''Lunokhod 1'' ( Russian: Луноход-1 ("Moonwalker 1"), also known as Аппарат 8ЕЛ № 203 ("Device 8EL No. 203")) was the first of two robotic lunar rovers landed on the Moon by the Soviet Union as part of its Lunokhod program. The ...
'', the first ever
planetary rover for
space exploration
Space exploration is the use of astronomy and space technology to explore outer space. While the exploration of space is carried out mainly by astronomers with telescopes, its physical exploration though is conducted both by robotic spacec ...
in the
Soviet space program
The Soviet space program (russian: Космическая программа СССР, Kosmicheskaya programma SSSR) was the national space program of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), active from 1955 until the dissoluti ...
.
Early life
Kemurdzhian was born to
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
parents
on 4 October 1921 in
Vladikavkaz
Vladikavkaz (russian: Владикавка́з, , os, Дзæуджыхъæу, translit=Dzæwdžyqæw, ;), formerly known as Ordzhonikidze () and Dzaudzhikau (), is the capital city of the North Ossetia-Alania, Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, Ru ...
, today the capital of
North Ossetia
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''north'' is ...
.
His father (b. 1898) and mother (b. 1901) were volunteers in the
Russian Civil War
, date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...
with the
11th Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, after ...
who happened to be in Vladikavkaz at the time of his birth.
His
Turkish-Armenian paternal grandparents were from
Trebizond who settled in
Batumi
Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ) is the second largest city of Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast of the Black Sea in Georgia's southwest. It is situated in a subtropical zone at the foot of th ...
in the late 19th century. His mother was from
Rostov-on-Don
Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East Eu ...
.
In 1940 he enrolled at the
Bauman Higher Technical College in Moscow.
With the start of the
Eastern Front of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
in 1941, he and other students of the tank department were assigned to repair damaged tanks until the institute was evacuated to
Izhevsk
Izhevsk (russian: Иже́вск, p=ɪˈʐɛfsk; udm, Ижкар, ''Ižkar'', or , ''Iž'') is the capital city of Udmurtia, Russia. It is situated along the Izh River, west of the Ural Mountains in Eastern Europe. It is the 21st-largest city i ...
.
In early 1942 he volunteered to join the
Soviet Army
uk, Радянська армія
, image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg
, alt =
, caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army
, start_date ...
.
He participated in the battles of
Kursk
Kursk ( rus, Курск, p=ˈkursk) is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur, Tuskar, and Seym rivers. The area around Kursk was the site of a turning point in the Soviet–German stru ...
,
the Dnieper, and the
Vistula–Oder Offensive.
He served in the of the
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union.
...
.
He rose to the rank of
senior lieutenant
Senior lieutenant is a military grade between a lieutenant and a captain, often used by countries from the former Eastern Bloc. It is comparable to first lieutenant.
Finland
( sv, premiärlöjtnant) is a Finnish military rank above ( sv, löjt ...
by the time he was demobilized in 1946.
For his services, he was awarded the
Order of Courage,
Order of the Red Star
The Order of the Red Star (russian: Орден Красной Звезды, Orden Krasnoy Zvezdy) was a military decoration of the Soviet Union. It was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of 6 April 193 ...
(1944),
Order of the Patriotic War
The Order of the Patriotic War (russian: Орден Отечественной войны, Orden Otechestvennoy voiny) is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisan ...
(1945, 1995),
Order of the Badge of Honour
The Order of the Badge of Honour (russian: орден «Знак Почёта», orden "Znak Pochyota") was a civilian award of the Soviet Union.
It was established on 25 November 1935, and was conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding ...
,
and the
Medal "For Battle Merit"
The Medal "For Battle Merit" (russian: Медаль «За боевые заслуги») was a Soviet military medal awarded for " combat action resulting in a military success", "courageous defense of the state borders", or "successful military ...
.
Due to the disruption caused by the war, Kemurdzhian graduated from the department of
tracked vehicles
Continuous track is a system of vehicle propulsion used in tracked vehicles, running on a continuous band of treads or track plates driven by two or more wheels. The large surface area of the tracks distributes the weight of the vehicle b ...
of the Bauman Higher Technical College in 1951, some 11 years after enrolling.
Career
In 1951 Kemurdzhian began working at the
Leningrad
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
-based All-Union Scientific-Research Institute No. 100 (VNII-100, now known as
VNIITransmash
Mobile Vehicle Engineering Institute (russian: ВНИИТрансмаш, VNIITransmash) is a company based in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is currently part of Uralvagonzavod.
It designed and built prototypes of tanks, including the T-80, for the ...
),
whose "primary expertise was building tanks for the Soviet Army." Kemurdzhian's research focused on
continuously variable transmission
A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is an automatic transmission that can change seamlessly through a continuous range of gear ratios. This contrasts with other transmissions that provide a limited number of gear ratios in fixed steps. T ...
in
tracked vehicles
Continuous track is a system of vehicle propulsion used in tracked vehicles, running on a continuous band of treads or track plates driven by two or more wheels. The large surface area of the tracks distributes the weight of the vehicle b ...
.
In 1957 he defended his ''
kandidat nauk
Candidate of Sciences (russian: кандидат наук, translit=kandidat nauk) is the first of two doctoral level scientific degrees in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. It is formally classified as UNESCO's ISCED level 8, "do ...
'' thesis.
From 1959 on Kemurdzhian led research on
air-cushion vehicle
A hovercraft, also known as an air-cushion vehicle or ACV, is an amphibious craft capable of travelling over land, water, mud, ice, and other surfaces.
Hovercraft use blowers to produce a large volume of air below the hull, or air cushion, ...
s (hovercraft).
Kemurdzhian authored 200 scientific publications (mostly papers, some six monographs)
and patented 50 inventions.
Work on lunar rovers
Between 1963 and 1973
Kemurdzhian headed the team assigned to develop the
chassis
A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
for the
Lunokhod programme
Lunokhod ( rus, Луноход, p=lʊnɐˈxot, "Moonwalker") was a series of Soviet robotic lunar rovers designed to land on the Moon between 1969 and 1977. Lunokhod 1 was the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on an extraterrestrial ...
.
His team designed both ''
Lunokhod 1
''Lunokhod 1'' ( Russian: Луноход-1 ("Moonwalker 1"), also known as Аппарат 8ЕЛ № 203 ("Device 8EL No. 203")) was the first of two robotic lunar rovers landed on the Moon by the Soviet Union as part of its Lunokhod program. The ...
'' (1970) and ''
Lunokhod 2
''Lunokhod 2'' (russian: Луноход-2 ("Moonwalker 2"), also known as Аппарат 8ЕЛ № 204 ("Device 8EL No. 204")) was the second of two unmanned lunar rovers that landed on the Moon by the Soviet Union as part of the Lunokhod progr ...
'' (1973).
In 1969 he was named deputy director and chief designer at VNIITransmash.
Under his leadership, the institute became a leader of space transport engineering.
In 1971 he became Doctor of Technical Sciences
after defending his dissertation based on his work on ''Lunokhod 1''.
He was named professor in 1977.
Kemurdzhian was personally interested in spaceflight and "remote-controlled space probes," which was known to
Sergei Korolev
Sergei Pavlovich Korolev (russian: Сергей Павлович Королёв, Sergey Pavlovich Korolyov, sʲɪrˈɡʲej ˈpavləvʲɪtɕ kərɐˈlʲɵf, Ru-Sergei Pavlovich Korolev.ogg; ukr, Сергій Павлович Корольов, ...
. In September 1963 Korolev met with VNIITransmash engineers to discuss the possibilities of developing lunar rovers. The design sketches for the first lunar rover were completed by September 1965. Kemurdzhian provided the main report on the possibility of creating the lunar rover.
Georgy Babakin
Georgy Nikolayevich Babakin (russian: Гео́ргий Никола́евич Баба́кин; 13 November 1914 – 3 August 1971) was a Soviet engineer working in the space program. He was Chief Designer at the Lavochkin Design Bureau from ...
, director of
OKB Lavochkin, and Kemurdzhian worked closely to design the Ye-8 in 1966. In 1967 a final lunar rover design was reached and a prototype was constructed. Early models were sent to the moon on
Luna 11
Luna 11 (E-6LF series) was an uncrewed space mission of the Soviet Union's Luna program. It was also called Lunik 11. Luna 11 was launched towards the Moon from an Earth-orbiting platform and entered lunar orbit on 27 August 1966.
Overview
T ...
,
Luna 12
Luna 12 (E-6LF series) was an unmanned space mission of the Luna program, also called Lunik 12.
Overview
Luna 12 was launched towards the Moon from an Earth-orbiting platform and achieved lunar orbit on October 25, 1966. The spacecraft was equipp ...
(1966) and
Luna 14
Luna 14 (E-6LS series) was an uncrewed spacecraft, uncrewed space mission of the Luna program run by the Soviet Union. It was also called Lunik 14.
Overview
The spacecraft is believed to have been similar to Luna 12 and the instrumentation was si ...
(1968). ''
Lunokhod 1
''Lunokhod 1'' ( Russian: Луноход-1 ("Moonwalker 1"), also known as Аппарат 8ЕЛ № 203 ("Device 8EL No. 203")) was the first of two robotic lunar rovers landed on the Moon by the Soviet Union as part of its Lunokhod program. The ...
'', the finalized version, was designed by Kemurdzhian
and Babakin.
Kemurdzhian is credited with being the chief designer of the
self-propelled chassis
A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
of ''Lunokhod-1''.
''Lunokhod 1'' was carried to the moon by
Luna 17
''LOK Luna 17'' (Ye-8 series) was an unmanned space mission of the Luna program, also called ''Lunik 17''. It deployed the first robotic rover onto the surface of the Moon.
Launch
''Luna 17'' was launched from an Earth parking orbit towards ...
, which was launched on 10 November and landed on the moon on 17 November 1970.
It was the "first successful rover to operate beyond Earth"
and the "first self-propelled, crewless vehicle to operate on the moon." It weighed and was long and high. It carried cameras, transmitters and scientific instruments. The remote-controlled robot traveled some in 10 months and sent back some 20,000 photos and 200 panoramas. It also completed over 500
lunar soil
Lunar soil is the fine fraction of the regolith found on the surface of the Moon. Its properties can differ significantly from those of terrestrial soil. The physical properties of lunar soil are primarily the result of mechanical disintegra ...
tests.
Work on Mars lander vehicle
The M71 landers—
Mars 2
The Mars 2 was an uncrewed space probe of the Mars program, a series of uncrewed Mars landers and orbiters launched by the Soviet Union beginning 19 May 1971. The Mars 2 and Mars 3 missions consisted of identical spacecraft, each with an orbit ...
and
Mars 3
Mars 3 was a robotic space probe of the Soviet Mars program, launched May 28, 1971, nine days after its twin spacecraft Mars 2. The probes were identical robotic spacecraft launched by Proton-K rockets with a Blok D upper stage, each consisting ...
—which were launched in 1971, both carried a small walking robot called
PrOP-M (ПрОП-М, ''Pribor otsenki prokhodimosti – Mars'', "Passability Estimating Vehicle for Mars") developed by Kemurdzian at
VNIITransmash
Mobile Vehicle Engineering Institute (russian: ВНИИТрансмаш, VNIITransmash) is a company based in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is currently part of Uralvagonzavod.
It designed and built prototypes of tanks, including the T-80, for the ...
.
Later years and death
In response to the
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the No. 4 reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian SSR in the Soviet Union. It is one of only two nuc ...
, Kemurdzhian led a team of researchers to develop, in May 1986, the
robot
A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may be c ...
STR-1 (СТР-1) to support the
Chernobyl liquidators
Chernobyl liquidators were the civil and military personnel who were called upon to deal with the consequences of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the Soviet Union on the site of the event. The liquidators are widely credited with limiti ...
to investigate and cleanup the area.
In Chernobyl he was exposed to excessive
radiation
In physics, radiation is the emission or transmission of energy in the form of waves or particles through space or through a material medium. This includes:
* ''electromagnetic radiation'', such as radio waves, microwaves, infrared, visi ...
and was treated in a Moscow hospital for
radiation burn
A radiation burn is a damage to the skin or other biological tissue and organs as an effect of radiation. The radiation types of greatest concern are thermal radiation, radio frequency energy, ultraviolet light and ionizing radiation.
The most ...
s.
Kemurdzhian retired in 1998.
In 2000 he became a founding member of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian Academy of Cosmonautics (StPB RAC).
In November 2000 he was the chief speaker at the 30th anniversary of the Lunokhod meeting held at the
Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater
Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater (russian: Большой драматический театр имени Г. А. Товстоногова; literally ''Tovstonogov Great Drama Theater''), formerly known as Gorky Bolshoi Drama Theater (russian: ...
. His last public appearance took place in mid-January 2003. A few days later he suffered a
hip fracture
A hip fracture is a break that occurs in the upper part of the femur (thigh bone). Symptoms may include pain around the hip, particularly with movement, and shortening of the leg. Usually the person cannot walk.
They most often occur as a res ...
and was hospitalized.
He died in Saint Peteresburg on 24
or 25
February, 2003. He was buried at the in St. Petersburg.
Recognition
Kemurdzhian is recognized as the "founder of the Russian school of design of planetary rovers."
For his work on lunar rovers, Kemurdzhian received the
Lenin Prize in 1973.
A minor planet discovered on 26 August 1976 by
Nikolai Chernykh
Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh (russian: Никола́й Степа́нович Черны́х) (6 October 1931 – 25 May 2004Казакова, Р.К. Памяти Николая Степановича Черных'. Труды Государст ...
at the
Crimean Astrophysical Observatory
The Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (CrAO, List of observatory codes, obs. code: IAU code#095, 095) is located at Nauchnij research campus, near the Central Crimean city of Bakhchysarai, on the Crimean peninsula. CrAO is often called ...
was named
5933 Kemurdzhian.
He was a member of
The Planetary Society
The Planetary Society is an American internationally-active non-governmental nonprofit organization. It is involved in research, public outreach, and political space advocacy
Space advocacy is supporting or advocating for a human use of out ...
,
the
European Geosciences Union
The European Geosciences Union (EGU) is a non-profit international union in the fields of Earth, planetary, and space sciences whose vision is to "realise a sustainable and just future for humanity and for the planet." The organisation has headq ...
, and other learned societies.
Documents, photos, and other archival materials on Kemurdzhian are kept at the
Russian State Archive of Scientific-Technical Documentation.
Malenkov described him as follows: "A sharp mind, quick wit, and immediate response in all, including unexpected, situations; professionalism, encyclopedic erudition, commitment and hard work, multiplied by boundless energy; natural qualities of a leader of any assembly of people or experts, gathered by chance or by virtue of production relations; a charming conversationalist, a poet, and a great storyteller..."
In October 2021 the 100th anniversary of Kemurdzhian's birth was commemorated in Armenia with a conference and a postage stamp.
See also
*
List of Russian inventors
This is a list of inventors from the Russian Federation, Soviet Union, Russian Empire, Tsardom of Russia and Grand Duchy of Moscow, including both ethnic Russians and people of other ethnicities.
This list also includes those who were born in Rus ...
*
List of Armenian inventors and discoverers
References
;Notes
;Citations
Bibliography
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kemurdzhian, Alexander
1921 births
2003 deaths
People from Vladikavkaz
Armenian scientists
Armenian inventors
Armenian engineers
Russian aerospace engineers
Soviet aerospace engineers
Soviet space program personnel
Bauman Moscow State Technical University alumni
Soviet Armenians
Soviet inventors
Soviet military personnel of World War II