Bertalan Farkas
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| Intercosmos Cosmonaut | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Hungarian |
| Born | August 2, 1949 Gyulaháza, Hungary |
| Occupation1 | Pilot |
| Rank | Brigadier General, Hungarian Air Force |
| Space time | 7d 20h 45m |
| Selection | 1978 Intercosmos Group |
| Mission(s) | Soyuz 36 |
| 1 previous or current | |
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. To date he is the only Hungarian who has been to space.
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 1971.
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, Farkas conducted experiments in material science. After 7 days, 20 hours and 45 minutes, and having completed 124 orbits, Farkas and Kubasov returned to Earth, landing 140 kms southeast of Dzheskasgan. Bertalan Farkas was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union on June 30, 1980 [1]
Farkas is married to Anikó Farkas, and has three children: Aida, Ádám and Bertalan. He loves soccer and plays it often.
He is a member of the Hungarian Democratic Forum, a Hungarian conservative political party, and was its candidate at the 2006 parliamentary election in the Baktalórántháza election district.
