Alexander V. Bagrov

Russian Federation

1945-2020

Obituary:

With great sadness we inform you about the passing of the known researcher in the Solar System investigation area.

Dr. Alexander Bagrov was born 30.06.1945 in Vladivostok. He graduated from Lomonosov Moscow State University in 1968, in 1987 he defended a PhD thesis, and in 2002 became a full doctor. Since 1972 he was affiliated to Institute of Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences (INASAN, before 1988 - Astronomical Council of the USSR Academy of Sciences). Since 2000 he had also actively collaborated with Lavochkin Association.

In 1968-1970 he had been the chief of astroclimate investigations of the Mt. Sanglok, where later telescopes of Institute of Astrophysics of Tajikistan Rep. were installed, and Optical Center of Space Control Surveillance ("OKNO") was built. His main scientific interests were artificial satellites and application to them of astrophysical methods of telescopic observations.

Later, in 1990th his science interests widened to natural bodies of the Solar System migrating through Near-Earth space and since 2000 Dr. Bagrov reactivates optical meteor observations in Russia in order to confirm his new cosmogony hypothesis. He was principal organizer of television double-station observations in Russia. The meteor observations were got from various systems and to cover the magnitude range from +5 to -9. The meteor network in Russia continues to work.

Technical interests of Dr. Bagrov were wide too. He was the principal investigator of Russian project of space astrometrical interferometer OSIRIS 1995-2006 (project cancelled in 2014). He was designer of light-beacons technique for global positioning with single satellite (adopted to "Luna-25" and "Luna-26" Russian missions).

Besides that he was co-author of a projects of interstellar spaceship with superconductive mirror, lunar space elevator, hyper-velocity penetrators for science payload delivery to the Moon, asteroids and comets, non-rocket launch from Mars, active defense of the Earth against space dangerous bodies, optical light beacons for space probes and others. He published more than 160 papers and 2 monographs.

A.V. Bagrov was awarded by medals of Russian Cosmonautic Federation and Soviet National Achieving Exhibition. He had the honorary titles of Honor USSR Inventor (in 1990) and Honor Constructor of Space Technique (in 2015). A. Bagrov was the author of 12 inventions (supported by patents).

Dr. Alexander Bagrov was a popularizer of science and space technology. He gave lectures for students and school children, lectures at the Moscow Planetarium. He was an expert of the Federal register of experts of the Russian Federation, a member of the academic Council of the V. Tereshkova Cultural and educational center, member of the scientific Council and dissertation Council of INASAN. Since 2002, he has been a member of the IAU.

On August 20, 2020 Dr. Alexander Bagrov passed away. He was 75 years old. He has been active astronomer till his last day.