Named in honor of Mark Lazarevich Gallaj (1914– ), a distinguished Soviet test pilot who tested 125 types of aircraft and helicopter. He pioneered in testing rocket technology and was one of the first to succeed in gaining insight into the flutter phenomenon that emerges when aircraft travel near Mach 1. Gallaj participated in training the first generation of Soviet cosmonauts and is the author of excellent books on aviation and the conquest of space. (M 26767) _ _.