The study and development of space programs today is simply amazing and impressive. However, most of them build on foundations laid by scientists from different parts of the world, including the USSR. The abandoned reference center for antenna measurements in Armenia looks magnificent even today. It is a huge structure with a record-low self-noise level (2.4 Kelvin).
A sad reality nowadays
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A Soviet radio-engineering genius
Paris Misakovich Heruni went down in history by creating a unique device that was later named after him. Heruni’s mirror radio telescope became one of the most powerful radio telescopes of its time. He also made his mark in science, proposing a number of theories and calculations.
Paris presented a model of the antenna to Sergei Korolyov and Valentina Tereshkova, surprising them with an innovative invention that could completely change the concept of space exploration. Before construction could begin, he had to go through all the circles of bureaucratic hell, defending the significance and value of the giant antenna.
A model of the territory and the remains of the interior
When construction was completed and the telescope went into operation, scientists were stunned by two of the world’s greatest scientific discoveries at once! First, the world learned about the existence of aging stars, which were named “red giants”. A little later, it was established that these stars also produce explosions, something that had been strongly denied before. Using its extreme sensitivity, Heruni’s antenna disproved the existence of a residual background. The genius scientist died only 11 years ago, leaving behind a legacy that cannot be overestimated.
Under cosmic dust in Armenia
The dimensions of the mirror radio-optical telescope are 54 / 2.6, while those of its younger and more modern brother, the GAPI, are 32 / 54 — really impressive sizes. The diameters of its working mirrors are 54 and 2.6 meters. This monster was built between 1981 and 1985, and it took another two years to create the vital infrastructure around the telescope.
A huge industrial island
The telescope’s mirror was paved with 3,600 duralumin shields, which were mounted on iron pipes set into a huge trench. Polishing the shields was a complex technical process. In addition, they decided to build the AREV solar concentrator near the famous telescope, but the work stopped at the construction stage. There was an attempt to revive the project in 1992-1994, but disputes between sponsors and contractors brought everything to nothing. Today, only the metal frame with 1/10 of the panels can be considered complete, while everything else is safely buried in the bushes. The remains of the panels lie scattered at random inside the building.
The remains of the station’s equipment
The laboratory buildings are located between the telescope and the failed concentrator. In some rooms, even traces of the staff’s daily life and some documentation have been preserved. In the basement, you can find installations resembling climate chambers. Unfortunately, the condition of the chambers is terrible, and everything was made worse by the fire, whose traces are visible in the patterns on the walls.
Underground, a funicular was provided for the staff. Running on a cable drive, it delivered employees to the very heart of this kingdom of mirrors. To reach the telescope’s support itself, however, one still had to climb up alone.
It used to be a funicular
This site intrigues with features that were never implemented, and it keeps surprising with all sorts of other discoveries. Take, for example, the Wasp-18 model stand, its dangerous sting pointing up into the sky. Here there once stood gilded reference antennas, whose fate remains a mystery.
Another interesting object in the area is the solar calendar, made from igneous rock — red tuff. Besides its undeniable scientific value, it also has cultural significance. The calendar was decorated by the famous Gerani sculptor Panosyan. A similar structure stands opposite the National Institute of Standards in Yerevan. You can make sense of the calendar by reading the tablet installed nearby; the instructions for this unusual structure are given in Armenian, Russian and English.
ROT 54 / 2.6 was officially declared operational, but that looks like a bad joke. The site and the objects on it do not look fit for operation, and the last launch of the legendary telescope took place in 2011. According to some reports, reviving the ROT 54 / 2.6 systems would cost approximately $25 million, but that is no more than a guess.
This article uses photographs from the source.