Bertalan Farkas
Encyclopedia
Bertalan Farkas was the first Hungarian
cosmonaut and the first Esperantist
in space. He is currently the president of Airlines Service and Trade. With Charles Simonyi
's travel, Farkas is no longer the only Hungarian who has been to space (he is still the only astronaut, as Simonyi flew as a space tourist).
, he graduated from the George Kilián Aeronautical College in Szolnok
in 1969. He then attended the Krasnodar
Military Aviation Institute in the Soviet Union, from where he graduated in 1972.
After earning his qualifications at University
, Farkas joined the Hungarian Air Force
and rose to the rank of Brigadier General
.
. His backup cosmonaut was Béla Magyari
.
Farkas, along with Soviet cosmonaut Valeri Kubasov
, was launched into space on Soyuz 36
from Baikonur Cosmodrome
on May 26, 1980, at 18:20 (GMT).
While in orbit
, Farkas conducted experiments in material science. After 7 days, 20 hours and 45 minutes, and having completed 124 orbits, Farkas and Kubasov returned to Earth, landing 140 km southeast of Dzhezkazgan
. Bertalan Farkas was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union
on June 30, 1980
and plays it often.
He is a member of the Hungarian Democratic Forum
, a Hungarian conservative political party, and was its candidate at the 2006 parliamentary election
in the Baktalórántháza
election district.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
cosmonaut and the first Esperantist
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
in space. He is currently the president of Airlines Service and Trade. With Charles Simonyi
Charles Simonyi
Charles Simonyi is a Hungarian-American computer software executive who, as head of Microsoft's application software group, oversaw the creation of Microsoft's flagship Office suite of applications. He now heads his own company, Intentional Software, with the aim of developing and marketing his...
's travel, Farkas is no longer the only Hungarian who has been to space (he is still the only astronaut, as Simonyi flew as a space tourist).
Early life and military career
Born in GyulaházaGyulaháza
Gyulaháza is a village in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary.-Geography:It covers an area of and has a population of 2082 people ....
, he graduated from the George Kilián Aeronautical College in Szolnok
Szolnok
Szolnok is the county seat of Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok county in central Hungary. Its location on the banks of the Tisza river, at the heart of the Great Hungarian Plain, has made it an important cultural and economic crossroads for centuries....
in 1969. He then attended the Krasnodar
Krasnodar
Krasnodar is a city in Southern Russia, located on the Kuban River about northeast of the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. It is the administrative center of Krasnodar Krai . Population: -Name:...
Military Aviation Institute in the Soviet Union, from where he graduated in 1972.
After earning his qualifications at University
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
, Farkas joined the Hungarian Air Force
Hungarian Air Force
The Hungarian Air Force is the air force branch of the Hungarian Army.- 1918 to Pre–World War II :Following the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy in 1918, a small air arm was established operating surviving aircraft from Hungarian factories and training schools...
and rose to the rank of Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
.
Intercosmos program
In 1978 he volunteered to become a cosmonaut and was selected as part of the fifth international programme for IntercosmosIntercosmos
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...
. His backup cosmonaut was Béla Magyari
Béla Magyari
Béla Magyari was Colonel of the Hungarian Air Force. He graduated from The Hungarian Airforce Academy "György Kilián" in 1969....
.
Farkas, along with Soviet cosmonaut Valeri Kubasov
Valeri Kubasov
Valeri Nikolayevich Kubasov was a Soviet cosmonaut who flew on two missions in the Soyuz programme as a flight engineer: Soyuz 6 and Soyuz 19 , and commanded Soyuz 36 in the Intercosmos programme. On 21 July 1975, Soviet Soyuz module landed in Kazakhstan at-5:51pm and Valeriy Kubasov was the first...
, was launched into space on Soyuz 36
Soyuz 36
-Backup crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 51.62°*Period: 89.0 minutes-Mission highlights:...
from Baikonur Cosmodrome
Baikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
on May 26, 1980, at 18:20 (GMT).
While in orbit
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
, Farkas conducted experiments in material science. After 7 days, 20 hours and 45 minutes, and having completed 124 orbits, Farkas and Kubasov returned to Earth, landing 140 km southeast of Dzhezkazgan
Dzhezkazgan
Jezkazgan or Zhezkazgan , formerly known as Dzhezkazgan , is a city in Karagandy Province, Kazakhstan, on a reservoir of the Kara-Kengir River. The city population is of 90,000...
. Bertalan Farkas was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
on June 30, 1980
Personal life
Farkas is married to Anikó Farkas, and has three children: Aida, Ádám and Bertalan. He loves tennisTennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and plays it often.
He is a member of the Hungarian Democratic Forum
Hungarian Democratic Forum
The Hungarian Democratic Forum , abbreviated to MDF, was a centre-right political party in Hungary. It had a liberal conservative and Christian democratic ideology...
, a Hungarian conservative political party, and was its candidate at the 2006 parliamentary election
Hungarian parliamentary election, 2006
The schedule of the 2006 Hungarian parliamentary elections, as announced by president László Sólyom was as follows:* first round on April 9, 2006* second round on April 23, 2006...
in the Baktalórántháza
Baktalórántháza
Baktalórántháza is a town in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county, in the Northern Great Plain region of eastern Hungary.-Geography:It covers an area of and has a population of 4,295 people .-History:...
election district.