About Ferenc Pavlics
Ferenc Pavlics, 96, Hungarian-born American mechanical engineer.
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Full Biography
|Ferenc Pavlics (February 3, 1928 – February 13, 2024) was a Hungarian-born American mechanical engineer who developed the Apollo Lunar rover.
Early life
Ferenc Pavlics was born in Balozsameggyes, Vas County, Hungary, in 1928. His father, Károly Pavlics, and mother, Rosina Perusich, were both teachers teaching in the elementary school of Balozsameggyes. At the age of six he almost died from a severe illness but recovered following an operation.
He attended the elementary school in Balozsameggyes. During the first years he was taught by his mother then his father. He attended the Faludi Ferenc high school in Szombathely and graduated in 1946. Pavlics attended the Budapest University of Technology and Economics and graduated as a mechanical engineer in 1950.
Pavlics was working in the Gépipari Tervező Intézet (Industrial Machine Planning Institute). After the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, the Pavlics family scattered around the world. Ferenc and his future wife, Klára Schwáb, went first to Austria, then to the United States. Three of his brothers and sisters also left Hungary, Anna settled in Austria, József in Sweden, and Teréz in California.
Working on space projects
After leaving Hungary, Pavlics first was working from 1957 in the General Motors (GM) Research Division, Detroit. From 1961 he continued his work in the Santa Barbara Division of GM developing overlands. He continued his postgraduate studies.
Later for the NASA JPL and Boeing Company he started the development of the Lunar Roving Vehicle.
The rover had a total mass of 210 kg and was designed to carry a payload of an additional 490 kg. Each wheel had a 190 W (0.25 horsepower) motor (so the full motor power of the rover was 1 HP). It had a special vehicle design to be able to move on the special surface conditions of the Moon. Their frames were made of aluminum alloy. (See more details: Lunar rover.)
In 1971, the Apollo 15 carried the first Lunar rover to the Moon. In 1972 the Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 also carried Lunar rovers. All three vehicles remained on the Moon. In 1971, Pavlics got a NASA award for the success of the Apollo program. Later, he participated in the development of hybrid and fuel cell driven vehicles and the electric bus network of Santa Barbara. Pavlics died on February 13, 2024, aged 96.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferenc_Pavlics
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 7 questions
Questions drawn from Ferenc Pavlics's archived record and the sources above.
1.What nationality was Ferenc Pavlics?
- A.Australian
- B.Hungariancorrect
- C.Argentine
- D.Austrian
Ferenc Pavlics is recorded as Hungarian.
Source: Profile: nationality: "llo Lunar Rover", academia.edu. Accessed February 17, 2024. Archive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of birth 1928. Archive record: age at death 96. Ar
2.In which year did Ferenc Pavlics die?
- A.2024correct
- B.2017
- C.2015
- D.2011
Ferenc Pavlics died in 2024.
Source: Profile: year of death: "7, 2024. Archive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of birth 1928. Archive record: age at death 96. Archive record: place of birth Balozsameggyes. Arch
3.How old was Ferenc Pavlics when they died?
- A.96correct
- B.88
- C.85
- D.91
Ferenc Pavlics was 96 years old at the time of death.
Source: Profile: age at death: "ki Egyetem (Hungarian) "The Law of the Stronger: Ferenc Pavlics and the Apollo Lunar Rover", academia.edu. Accessed February 17, 2024. Archive record: year of death 2
4.In which year was Ferenc Pavlics born?
- A.1919
- B.1922
- C.1928correct
- D.1916
Ferenc Pavlics was born in 1928.
Source: Profile: year of birth: "rsity of Budapest Budapesti Műszaki Egyetem (Hungarian) "The Law of the Stronger: Ferenc Pavlics and the Apollo Lunar Rover", academia.edu. Accessed February 17, 202
5.In which month did Ferenc Pavlics die?
- A.Februarycorrect
- B.April
- C.May
- D.March
Ferenc Pavlics died in February.
Source: Archive record: date of death: "ebruary 17, 2024. Archive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of birth 1928. Archive record: age at death 96. Archive record: place of birth Balo
6.On which day of the month did Ferenc Pavlics die?
- A.13correct
- B.12
- C.14
- D.15
Ferenc Pavlics died on day 13 of the month.
Source: Archive record: date of death: "d February 17, 2024. Archive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of birth 1928. Archive record: age at death 96. Archive record: place of birth B
7.Where was Ferenc Pavlics born?
- A.Marseille
- B.Balozsameggyescorrect
- C.Kraków
- D.Turin
Ferenc Pavlics was born in Balozsameggyes.
Source: Biography: place of birth: "f the Stronger: Ferenc Pavlics and the Apollo Lunar Rover", academia.edu. Accessed February 17, 2024. Archive record: year of death 2024. Archive record: year of
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