
Bulgaria marked the World Day of Aviation and Cosmonautics with a contest in plane modelling. On April 12, 1979, Bulgaria sent off its first cosmonaut, Lieutenant-General Georgi Ivanov. Photo by Kameliya Atanasova (SNA)
On the World Day of Aviation and Cosmonautics Bulgarian scientists mark the tenth anniversary since launching its unique "greenhouse" project into open space.
Under it, cosmonauts working on the Russian orbital spaceship "Mir" are able to grow by themselves fresh vegetables.
The first spatial greenhouse left for "Mir" in 1990 and grew their first "special" salads, Dr Tanya Ilieva, director of Bulgaria's Space Research Institute.
Bulgaria joined the scientific research of open space in 1969 and now ranks sixth in the world as per cosmonauts sent there - Georgi Ivanov and Alexander Alexandrov.
The Balkan country comes next to spatial giants US and Russia in the development and production of spatial foods. Moreover, Bulgaria has fully equipped two Earth satellites - Intercosmos and Meteor-Priroda.