site.btaCommunications Expert Maxim Behar and His Wife Set for Intensive NASA Course in Alabama

Bulgarian public relations and communications expert and business owner Maxim Behar and his wife Veneta will travel to the United States on February 12, where they will undergo an intensive training course at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria (ACB) said on Thursday. The project is being carried out under the ACB’s “Hello, Space!” Program. Supported by Behar’s friends, partners and colleagues, it is a collective gift for his recent 70th birthday.

The couple have already met all the criteria to be approved for the training and underwent full medical examinations at the Lozenets University Hospital in Sofia. The NASA program they will join takes place only once a year and is strictly limited to 16 people from around the world, selected after individual interviews and tests. The 10-day training cycle will include:

• Flight simulation: Working in conditions identical to those on a spacecraft;
• Spacewalk: Specialized exercises outside the simulator; and
• Weightlessness: Training for orientation and movement in a zero-gravity environment.

After their return to Bulgaria, Maxim and Veneta will hold a special press conference together with ACB President Solomon Passy to give detailed information about the program and the training.

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center is known as the largest space museum on Earth. Established in 1970, it is a key centre for American astronautics. It preserves unique artefacts, including the Apollo 16 capsule, hardware from the legendary Moon landing program, interactive science exhibits, displays dedicated to the Space Shuttle, and military rocket technology and aircraft. The venue is emblematic of the development of the Space Shuttle and modern rocket technologies. The astronaut Owen Garriott described it as “a wonderful way to learn more about Space in a city that has embraced the space program from the very beginning.”

The Center offers visitors exposure to the U.S. space program through participant use of simulators, lectures, and training.