ALEXANDER ALEXANDROV, second Bulgarian cosmonaut

Dr. Alexander Alexandrov is the second Bulgarian cosmonaut. He flew aboard the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz TM-5. The mission lasted from 7 to 17 June 1988. Alexander Alexandrov graduated in aerospace engineering and until 1978 served as a bomber-fighter pilot in the combat units of the Bulgarian Air Force. In 1983 he completed his PhD studies at the Space Research Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow. On March 1, 1978 Alexandrov was chosen to be an astronaut in the second group of the "Intercosmos" program with the first Bulgarian astronaut Georgi Ivanov.

In June 1988, he became the second Bulgarian to fly in space. During the flight, Alexandrov performed over 56 successful scientific experiments, including testing of Bulgarian food for astronauts, developed by the Bulgarian Space Research Institute. During the flight, a tele-bridge with the astronauts was transmitted directly to the Bulgarian National Television.