Bulgaria Marks Anniversary of Joint Bulgaria-USSR Space Flight

Society | June 9, 2008, Monday // 00:00
Bulgaria Marks Anniversary of Joint Bulgaria-USSR Space Flight: Bulgaria Marks Anniversary of Joint Bulgaria-USSR Space Flight The State Agency for Information Technology and Communications issued a stamp to mark the 20th anniversary of the 1988 Bulgarian-Soviet space flight Photo by Yuliana Nikolova (Sofia Photo Agency)

Bulgaria marks today the 20th anniversary of the second joint Bulgarian-Soviet space flight, which took place in 1988.

Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov awarded two Russian cosmonauts, General-Lieutenant Vladimir Shatalov and Colonel Yuri Romanenko with the Bulgarian First Degree Order "Madarski Konnik" (The Madara Rider).

The Russian cosmonauts received the order for their exceptional contributions to the preparation and the realisation of the 1988 space flight.

Cosmonauts Nikolay Ribkin and Alexander Ribas received the Presidential Honorary Order for their key role and participation in the joint flight.

"I would like to clearly state that there are only six countries to have sent their own cosmonaut into space and Bulgaria is one of them, and, if I am not mistaken, the Bulgaria is the only country that participated in the "Intercosmos" program and sent two cosmonauts - Georgi Ivanov and Alexander Alexandrov. Lets remember today that in the course of the flight the cosmonauts managed to conduct 56 experiments. All this is the reason for our self-confidence as a "space" nation." Pavanov stated at the ceremony.

The State Agency for Information Technology and Communications issued a commemorative stamp to mark the 20th anniversary of the space flight of the second Bulgarian cosmonaut Alexander Alexandrov.

The stamp has a circulation of 14 thousand copies. The issue also includes a postal card with 1 480 copies and a special postal stamp. The artist Rumen Statkov is the projects' designer.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!

Society » Be a reporter: Write and send your article

Advertisement
Advertisement
Bulgaria news Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) is unique with being a real time news provider in English that informs its readers about the latest Bulgarian news. The editorial staff also publishes a daily online newspaper "Sofia Morning News." Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) and Sofia Morning News publish the latest economic, political and cultural news that take place in Bulgaria. Foreign media analysis on Bulgaria and World News in Brief are also part of the web site and the online newspaper. News Bulgaria