Aleksandr Panayotov Aleksandrov
Encyclopedia
Aleksandr Panayotov Aleksandrov (born December 1, 1951, Omurtag
, Targovishte Oblast
, Bulgaria
) is a retired Bulgaria
n cosmonaut. He is the second Bulgarian to have flown to space behind Georgi Ivanov
.
Academy in 1974 and obtained a degree in technical sciences in 1983. In the Bulgarian Air Force, Aleksandrov rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Aleksandrov was selected as a Research Cosmonaut on March 1, 1978 as part of the Soviet Union
's Intercosmos
program. He then was selected as backup to Georgi Ivanov
on the Soyuz 33
mission to the Salyut 6
space station. Subsequently, Aleksandrov was assigned to the prime crew of the Soyuz TM-5
mission to the Mir
space station.
On June 7, 1988, Aleksandrov launched aboard TM-5 as a Research Cosmonaut along with mission commander Anatoly Solovyev
and Viktor Savinykh
. Upon arriving at Mir, Aleksandrov became the first Bulgarian to reach a Soviet
space station, as the Soyuz 33 mission carrying Georgi Ivanov failed to reach the Salyut 6
space station. On June 17, Aleksandrov returned aboard Soyuz TM-4
along with his fellow crew members. He, along with his crew-mates, spent just under 10 days in space.
Aleksandrov later became Deputy Director of the Institute of Space Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
.
Currently Aleksandrov works as a research scientist. He is married and has one child.
Omurtag (town)
Omurtag is a town at the eastern foot of Stara Planina in northeastern Bulgaria, part of Targovishte Province, situated at 525 m above sea level. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Omurtag Municipality...
, Targovishte Oblast
Targovishte Province
Targovishte Province is a province in northeastern Bulgaria, named after its main city - Targovishte. As of December 2009, it has a population of 129,675 inhabitants.-Municipalities:...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
) is a retired Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n cosmonaut. He is the second Bulgarian to have flown to space behind Georgi Ivanov
Georgi Ivanov
Major general Georgi Ivanov Kakalov is a retired Bulgarian military officer and the first Bulgarian cosmonaut. He was a member of the National Assembly of Bulgaria in 1990.-Early life and military career:...
.
Biography
Aleksandrov was born in Omurtag, Bulgaria on December 1, 1951. He graduated from the Bulgarian Air ForceBulgarian Air Force
The Bulgarian Air Force is a branch of the Military of Bulgaria, the other two being the Bulgarian Navy and Bulgarian land forces. Its mission is to guard and protect the sovereignty of Bulgarian airspace, to provide aerial support and to assist the Land Forces in case of war. The Bulgarian Air...
Academy in 1974 and obtained a degree in technical sciences in 1983. In the Bulgarian Air Force, Aleksandrov rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Aleksandrov was selected as a Research Cosmonaut on March 1, 1978 as part of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
's Intercosmos
Intercosmos
Interkosmos was a space program of the Soviet Union designed to include members of military forces of allied Warsaw Pact countries in manned and unmanned missions...
program. He then was selected as backup to Georgi Ivanov
Georgi Ivanov
Major general Georgi Ivanov Kakalov is a retired Bulgarian military officer and the first Bulgarian cosmonaut. He was a member of the National Assembly of Bulgaria in 1990.-Early life and military career:...
on the Soyuz 33
Soyuz 33
-Backup crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 51.63°*Period: 88.99 minutes-Mission highlights:...
mission to the Salyut 6
Salyut 6
Salyut 6 , DOS-5, was a Soviet orbital space station, the eighth flown as part of the Salyut programme. Launched on 29 September 1977 by a Proton rocket, the station was the first of the 'second-generation' type of space station. Salyut 6 possessed several revolutionary advances over the earlier...
space station. Subsequently, Aleksandrov was assigned to the prime crew of the Soyuz TM-5
Soyuz TM-5
-Launch:Soyuz TM-5 launched on 1988 June 7 and arrived at Mir on June 9 carrying the second Bulgarian in space, Alexandrov . He became the first Bulgarian to reach a Soviet space station...
mission to the Mir
Mir
Mir was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, at first by the Soviet Union and then by Russia. Assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996, Mir was the first modular space station and had a greater mass than that of any previous spacecraft, holding the record for the...
space station.
Anatoly Solovyev
Anatoly Yakovlevich Solovyev is a former Soviet pilot, cosmonaut, and Colonel. Solovyev holds the world record on the number of spacewalks performed , and accumulated time spent spacewalking .- Family :...
and Viktor Savinykh
Viktor Savinykh
Viktor Petrovich Savinykh was born in Berezkiny, Kirov Oblast, Russian SFSR on March 7, 1940. Married with one child. Selected as a cosmonaut on December 1, 1978. Retired on February 9, 1989.Flew as Flight Engineer on Soyuz T-4, Soyuz T-13 and Soyuz TM-5....
. Upon arriving at Mir, Aleksandrov became the first Bulgarian to reach a Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
space station, as the Soyuz 33 mission carrying Georgi Ivanov failed to reach the Salyut 6
Salyut 6
Salyut 6 , DOS-5, was a Soviet orbital space station, the eighth flown as part of the Salyut programme. Launched on 29 September 1977 by a Proton rocket, the station was the first of the 'second-generation' type of space station. Salyut 6 possessed several revolutionary advances over the earlier...
space station. On June 17, Aleksandrov returned aboard Soyuz TM-4
Soyuz TM-4
-Mission parameters:*Mass: 7070 kg*Perigee: 337 km*Apogee: 357 km*Inclination: 51.6°*Period: 91.5 minutes-Mission highlights:...
along with his fellow crew members. He, along with his crew-mates, spent just under 10 days in space.
Aleksandrov later became Deputy Director of the Institute of Space Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is the National Academy of Bulgaria, established in 1869. The Academy is autonomous and has a Society of Academicians, Correspondent Members and Foreign Members...
.
Currently Aleksandrov works as a research scientist. He is married and has one child.