Aleksandr Panayotov Aleksandrov
He became the second Bulgarian to leave Earth's atmosphere, cementing his nation's place in the Cold War space race.
Born 1951 (age 75)·Bulgarian cosmonaut·Birthday: December 1·Baby Boomers
Biography
Aleksandr Aleksandrov's journey to the stars was a product of the Interkosmos program, a Soviet initiative that opened spaceflight to allied nations. Selected in 1978, he trained for years at Star City before his mission in 1988 aboard Soyuz TM-5 to the Mir space station. His eight-day stay was a point of immense national pride for Bulgaria, following the earlier flight of his compatriot Georgi Ivanov. While his time in orbit was brief, it represented a significant technological and symbolic achievement for a smaller Eastern Bloc country, demonstrating that space was not solely the domain of superpowers. After his flight, he remained involved in aerospace engineering and became a public figure advocating for scientific education.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Aleksandr was born in 1951, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Aleksandr Was Born
The biggest hits of 1951
#1 Movie
Quo Vadis
Best Picture
An American in Paris
#1 TV Show
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Aleksandr's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1951Born
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1956Started school
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1964Became a teenager
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Could drive
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1969Could vote
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Turned 21
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1981Turned 30
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 40
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 50
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 60
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 70
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 75 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Flew aboard Soyuz TM-5 for an eight-day mission to the Mir space station in 1988.
- Selected as a cosmonaut through the Soviet-Bulgarian Interkosmos program in 1978.
- Served as a backup crew member for the earlier Soyuz 33 mission in 1979.
Did You Know?
His spaceflight mission in 1988 was almost exactly nine years after the first Bulgarian in space, Georgi Ivanov.
He holds a degree in engineering from the Higher Air Force School in Bulgaria.
After his career as a cosmonaut, he worked as an associate professor at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.
“From Star City to Mir, my flight was for Bulgaria and for all of humanity.”
