Urban explorers discover eerie abandoned Soviet telescope hidden in the Armenian mountains that’s not been used for 30 years
- Herouni Mirror telescope and control buildings searched by urban explorers
- Eerie footage shows the dust covered lunar mirrors and deserted control room
- It lies forgotten 1,700 metres above sea-level at Mount Aragat, Armenia
Urban explorers have found an abandoned Soviet telescope perched high up in the Armenian mountains.
Eerie footage from the Herouni Mirror Radio telescope and its control buildings, built in 1985, shows dust covered mirrors, piles of cracked tubes in what appears to be an observation room and the dormant telescope.
It stands deserted and covered in snow 1,700 meters above sea level on the side of Mount Aragat.
A team of urban explorers has discovered an abandoned Soviet telescope hidden away in the Armenian mountains
The Herouni Mirror Radio telescope, which was constructed in 1985, still stands. This image shows the inside of what appears to be a control room, filled with cracked tubes with what appear to be folded sheets of black paper stuck to the walls
An abandoned stairway in the telescope’s control room. It stands deserted 1,700 metres above sea-level on Mount Aragat
Haunting footage from within the building begins with explorer Bob Thissen, 33, and at least two others crunching through snow next to a partially collapsed telescope wall.
He then enters the building and goes up stairs covered with dust to and into what appears to be an observation room.
The room contains rows of small pipes while the walls appear to be covered in black paper that has been folded into fans.
Continuing to explore the building the team then walk up carpet-covered stairs into what appears to be an abandoned control room.
Three control stations with chairs next to them remain in place. They are covered with dials and one even has a mouse.
What appears to be a control and/or observation room inside the main building. A report in 2018 found that the telescope could be restored although its movable parts had not shifted for the past six years
A control room inside the control building. Bob Thissen, 33, and at least two others decided to search the abandoned building
They also found dust covered mirrors on the floor inside (Pictured). Some of them had been smashed
Looking through the window they spot the 54-meter tall antenna of the telescope, a ROT-54/2.6 model.
Drone footage is then played which shows a birds’ eye view of the telescope and control buildings.
It is believed to have lain dormant for more than 30 years following the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991 after falling oil and gas prices led the former superpower to lose its grip on eastern Europe.
Armenia, where the telescope is based, declared independence from the USSR on September 21 1991.
Since then the country joined the United Nations in 1992 before conflict broke out with its neighbor Azerbaijan.
In 1995 the government began to relax its grip on the economy by launching privatization and a price liberalization scheme.
A review of the telescope, carried out in October last year, said it remains in a ‘very reasonable state’.
It also noted that part of the suspension supports have not moved for the last six years and that control of the sub-reflector and the movable parts of the telescope had been lost.