Manoug Manougian

Manoug Manougian is an Armenian scientist, professor, and considered the father of the Lebanese space program.

Personal life and education

Manougian grew up in Jerusalem and was educated at St. George's School, Jerusalem. He studied mathematics and physics at the University of Texas.

Career

Manougian married in 1960 and went to Lebanon to become a teacher at Haigazian College.

Lebanese Space Program

He founded the Haigazian College Rocket Society in November 1960. With a very limited budget, the society launched a series of rockets to increasing altitudes. It received funding from the Lebanese government and became the Lebanese Rocket Society. He and his students finally launched a suborbital rocket in 1963. The Cedar IV rocket, launched on Lebanese independence day, 21 November 1963 from Dbayeh north of Beirut, reached 90 miles (140 km) and was featured on Lebanese stamps.

Teaching

He returned to the United States in 1966. Manougian completed a master's degree and doctorate at the University of Texas and continued his academic career in the Department of Mathematics at the University of South Florida. He is currently still a professor in the University's Department of Mathematics at the University. He also acts as an adviser for the University's Society of Aeronautics and Rocketry student society.

Views and politics

As a member of the Armenian diaspora, he has been known to write editorials advocating awareness about the Armenian Genocide. He is also a co-author and associate producer of a 4-hour documentary called "The Genocide Factor: The Human Tragedy," that aired on PBS. In addition, he vehemently believes that rocketry and science should be pursued for solely peaceful means. Consequentially, he turned down multiple lucrative offers during his time in the Lebanese Rocket Society rather than let his work be used for military purposes.

References

• Lebanon’s forgotten space programme, BBC News, 14 November 2013
• Manoug Manougian, University of South Florida
• HU produced the 1st rockets shot in the Arab world, Haigazian University
• The Forgotten Apogee of Lebanese Rocketry, Saudi Aramco World
• The Lebanese Rocket Society, The Daily Telegraph, 9 October 2013
• It is rocket science: USF students build and launch 'em The Tampa Tribune, 21 December 2013
• Lesson ignored: the Armenian Genocide The Tampa Tribune, 15 April 2015
• For too long, Armenian genocide denied The Tampa Times, 23 April 2013
• An address to Armenia The Oracle, 19 October 2010