Mikhail Dobriyan

Mikhail Borisovich Dobriyan (26 June 1947 to 16 November 2013) was a Russian engineer in the former Soviet space program and later a director of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Tarusa. He was one of the leading figures in the programs of the GRANAT International Astrophysical Observatory and the Vega program. Outside the institute he served as head of Tarussky District and became an honorary citizen of the city of Tarusa, where a street is named in his honor and a memorial is dedicated to his memory. His honors included the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner of Labour, the Order For Merit to the Fatherland second class, and the Medal of Sergey Korolev.