Finkelstein Moisey Ionovich (1922, Odessa — 1992, Riga) — scientist, one of the leading specialists in the field of radar technology.
Moisey Finkelstein was born and raised in Odessa and graduated from secondary school with a medal. In 1939, he entered the Faculty of Physics at Moscow State University, but after the outbreak of World War II transferred to the N. Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy, from which he graduated in 1945.
From 1945 to 1960, he taught at military schools in Feodosia, Novograd-Volynsky, and Riga. From 1960, he was Head of the Department of Radar at the Riga Institute of Civil Aviation Engineers. He became a Candidate of Technical Sciences in 1959, Doctor of Technical Sciences in 1967, and Professor in 1967.
He organized and led research in radar subsurface sounding of layered earth formations, using a method he developed based on synthesizing ultra-wideband video pulse signals. The relevance of this work was initially connected to the needs of polar aviation: at that time, aircraft landings on ice were carried out intuitively, without instruments indicating ice strength.
The methodology and equipment developed under his leadership fundamentally solved this problem. Testing and practical validation were conducted over several seasons in polar ports and on Arctic islands.
With his direct participation, radar equipment developed at the Riga Institute of Civil Aviation Engineers was used for ice reconnaissance and route planning of the nuclear icebreaker Arktika, which reached the North Pole in August 1977.
Solving the problem of measuring sea ice thickness allowed this method to be extended to other geological and geophysical applications. Further development of his ideas took place in a specialized research laboratory of aviation subsurface radar, which he established in the mid-1970s.
In this laboratory, equipment was developed for probing peat layers, groundwater levels, and frozen soil. It was here that, under his scientific leadership, the first prototypes of unique ground-penetrating radar systems were created. Some of their modifications, such as the deep radar “Piton-02,” have been produced and used for decades.
In the final years of his life, Moisey Finkelstein worked on radar systems for space research. Under his leadership, instruments for subsurface sounding were developed for the space projects Phobos program and Mars program. These developments later formed the basis of a new generation of ground-penetrating radar systems.
He was the founder and recognized leader of this scientific field.
He authored 27 inventions and about 150 scientific publications. Under his supervision, around 20 young scientists earned their кандидат наук (PhD-equivalent) degrees.
Moisey Finkelstein was awarded the State Prize of the USSR (1984) and the title Honored Scientist and Engineer of the Latvian SSR (1982). In 1977, he received the badge “Honorary Polar Explorer.”
Selected works:
• Comb Filters («Гребенчатые фильтры», Moscow, 1969)
• Fundamentals of Radar («Основы радиолокации», Moscow, 1973; 2nd ed. 1983)
• Radar of Layered Earth Formations («Радиолокация слоистых земных покровов», Moscow, 1977, co-author)
• Application of Radar Subsurface Sounding in Engineering Geology («Применение радиолокационного подповерхностного зондирования в инженерной геологии», Moscow, 1986, co-author)
• Subsurface Radar («Подповерхностная радиолокация», Moscow, 1994, co-author)