Five cosmonauts at BAS for the anniversary session
The Space Research and Technology Institute (SRTI-BAS) celebrated its 55th anniversary as well as the 45th anniversary of the flight of the first Bulgarian cosmonaut Georgi Ivanov and the 20th anniversary of the “Space, Ecology, Safety” international scientific conference. On the occasion of the anniversaries, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences held a solemn jubilee session-assembly under the auspices of President Rumen Radev. The Director of the Institute, Prof. Georgi Jelev, presented the work and development of the scientific teams over the years. In a congratulatory address sent for the celebration, the President congratulated the scientists and pointed out that for 55 years Bulgaria had established itself in the space family as a country with an indisputable and significant contribution to the large-scale and real mastery of space. The large number of scientific literature and devices, some of which continue to operate on the International Space Station and in orbit around Mars, are a cause for well-deserved pride and satisfaction with the achievements of the Institute.
Minister of Defence Gen. Atanas Zapryanov attended the ceremony at BAS. The Bulgarian cosmonauts are the living heroes of our armed forces, the minister said, adding that he hoped the space tradition they started would continue and that Bulgarian officers would again take part in space flights. Forty-five years are not a long period but they will remain in our history with Bulgaria’s transformation into a space power, he added. A greeting was also read on behalf of the Minister of Education and Science.
The Vice-President of BAS Corr. Mem. Stefan Hadjitodorov congratulated the scientists of the Space Research and Technology Institute, pointing out that they successfully and actively participated in the “Security and Defence” National Science Programme. The flight of Georgi Ivanov and the scientific programme he implemented put Bulgaria on the map of space countries, the Vice-President said. Air Force Commander Major General Dimitar Petrov also made a welcoming speech and presented Georgi Ivanov with a photo album from the Minister of National Defence’s visit to the Star City in 1979.
The pilot-cosmonaut Georgi Ivanov whose first flight marks 45 years told interesting facts from the preparation of the flight and the history of space science. Greetings were given by the foreign guest cosmonauts: Bertalan Farkas – Hungary, Vladimir Remek – Czech Republic and Dumitru Prunariu – Romania and the third Bulgarian backup cosmonaut, Krasimir Stoyanov.
The “Academic Participation of SRTI-BAS in the Recognition of Bulgaria as the 18th Space State and the Further Development of Bulgarian Space Science” report was presented.
During the event, Corr. Mem. Petar Getsov opened the 20th International Scientific Conference “Space, Ecology, Safety” with papers by scientists from the USA, India, Austria and Egypt.
“For 55 years the Republic of Bulgaria has established itself in the space family as the sixth country to send two cosmonauts – Georgi Ivanov and Aleksandar Aleksandrov; we have become the third country in the world to produce space food and last but not least – we invented the world’s first space greenhouse “SVET” where wheat was grown from seed to seed for the first time. More than 150 scientific instruments and devices have secured our place among the first to master space on a large scale. Today, original Bulgarian instruments are working on the International Space Station. On 19 February 2022, another Bulgarian instrument for space radiation studies, LIULIN-MO, was launched and is still operating today in orbit around Mars. With these achievements, Bulgarian scientists and specialists have made an undeniable contribution to the future flight of cosmonauts and astronauts to the Moon and Mars,” from the Space Research and Technology Institute of BAS said.
