Aleksandar Panayotov Aleksandrov

Aleksandar Panayotov Aleksandrov (born 20 December 1951 in Lovech, Bulgaria) is a retired Bulgarian cosmonaut and former colonel in the Bulgarian Air Force. Selected as part of the Soviet‑Bulgarian Intercosmos program in 1988, he flew to the Mir space station aboard Soyuz TM‑5, launching on 8 June 1988 and returning on 29 June 1988 after a 9‑day, 22‑hour, 13‑minute mission. During his flight he conducted scientific experiments in materials science, Earth observation, and biomedical research on behalf of Bulgaria. After his spaceflight he continued to serve in the Bulgarian Air Force and later worked with the Bulgarian Space Agency, promoting space education and international cooperation. He has been awarded the title Hero of the People's Republic of Bulgaria, the Order of Georgi Dimitrov, and the Order of Lenin.