In April 2012 we celebrate the 90th anniversary of the well known Russian geodesist Leonard Pavlovich Pellinen (14.04.1922–7.04.1992)

His candidate dissertation “Investigation of plum line deviations and quasigeoid determination in Caucasus” was written in 1949 and became the first practical usage of Molodensky theory.

Professor Pellinen investigated problems of astronomic-geodetic leveling, triangulation accuracy, quasigeodi height translation, equipotential surface tilts, and vertical atmospheric refraction. His doctor thesis of 1962 was devoted to the normal Earth model creation using first satellite data. This model was the basis of the modern Earth’s parameters supported GLONASS activity. The determined major semiaxis a = 6 378 137 ± 14 m practically coincide with the current solution a = 6 378 136,46 ± 0,10 m (without tide corrections).

He has developed Molodensky theory with several known coauthors. His recent studies were related to common usage of gravimetric and altimetric data in global research of Earth’s gravity field. His lectures on high (theoretical) geodesy were published in 1978 and translated into German in 1982. Hi is the winner of Feodosiy Krasovsky award of 1983.