YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Chief of Staff at the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia Arayik Harutyunyan attended the ceremony of naming Yerevan’s N170 High School after world-renowned Armenian engineer Alexander Kemurdzhian. The ceremony was organized on the sidelines of the ongoing STARMUS VI International Festival in Yerevan, the Government of Armenia said. 

The event was attended by Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Vahram Dumanyan, STARMUS Founding Director Garik Israelian, Alexander Kemurdzhian’s son Vladimir Kemurdzhian and others.

In his remarks STARMUS Founding Director Garik Israelian said that very few know that the design of the first-ever planetary rover, Lunokhod 1, has been developed by the team led by Alexander Kemurdzhian.

Vladimir Kemurdzhian said that his father has always encouraged the youth, as he believed that it’s impossible to create and develop an equipment without them. Vladimir Kemurdzhian donated a number of books to the school, and scientist Scott Roberts, who has arrived from the USA, donated a telescope.

Alexander Kemurdzhian headed the team assigned to develop the chassis for the Lunokhod (Moonwalker) program. His team designed both Lunokhod 1(1970) and Lunokhod 2 (1973).

The first-ever planetary rover, Lunokhod 1 was carried to the Moon by Luna 17. It was launched on November 10 and landed on the Moon on November 17, 1970.

Photos by Mkhitar Khachatryan