site.btaBulgaria Pays Final Tribute to Its Second Cosmonaut Alexander Alexandrov
President Iliana Iotova, military officials and relatives paid their final respects to Bulgaria's second cosmonaut Alexander Alexandrov, who died at the age of 74 on July 10. The funeral ceremony was held at the Central Military Club in Sofia on Monday.
Alexandrov lifted off aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz TM-5 on June 7, 1988. He spent nine days and 20 hours in space, including seven days aboard the Mir Space Station. Bulgaria has had only one other cosmonaut, Georgi Ivanov, who was on the Soyuz 33 space mission in April 1979.
Among those attending Monday's ceremony were Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov, Chief of Defence Adm. Emil Eftimov, Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Nikolay Rusev, and Russia's Ambassador to Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova.
President Iotova told journalists: "Bulgaria is bidding farewell to one of its modern-day heroes. He was a distinguished Bulgarian officer, our cosmonaut, a man who dedicated his life to Bulgaria, to its glory and to space science."
Iotova expressed hope that the legacy Alexandrov left behind will one day be carried forward by his younger colleagues and supported by the country's institutions.
"Thanks to him, Bulgaria was recognized as a spacefaring nation," the President said.
/VL/
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