Bertalan Farkas (born August 2, 1949) was the first Hungarian cosmonaut and the first Esperantist in space. He is currently the president of Airlines Service and Trade. With Charles Simonyi's travel, Farkas is no longer the only Hungarian who has been to space (he is still the only astronaut, as Simonyi flew as a space tourist).
Born in Gyulaháza, he graduated from the George Kilián Aeronautical College in Szolnok in 1969. He then attended the Kr...
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Bertalan Farkas (born August 2, 1949) was the first Hungarian cosmonaut and the first Esperantist in space. He is currently the president of Airlines Service and Trade. With Charles Simonyi's travel, Farkas is no longer the only Hungarian who has been to space (he is still the only astronaut, as Simonyi flew as a space tourist).
Born in Gyulaháza, he graduated from the George Kilián Aeronautical College in Szolnok in 1969. He then attended the Krasnodar Military Aviation Institute in the Soviet Union, from where he graduated in 1972.
After earning his qualifications at University, Farkas joined the Hungarian Air Force and rose to the rank of Brigadier General. In 1978 he volunteered to become a cosmonaut and was selected as part of the fifth international programme for Intercosmos. His backup cosmonaut was Béla Magyari.
Farkas, along with Soviet cosmonaut Valeri Kubasov, was launched into space on Soyuz 36 from Baikonur Cosmodrome on May 26, 1980, at 18:20 (GMT).
While in orbit,...
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