Ivan Bella
| Ivan Bella | |
|---|---|
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| Research Cosmonaut | |
| Nationality | Slovak |
| Born | May 25, 1964 Brezno, Czechoslovakia (present Slovakia) |
| Other occupation | Pilot |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Time in space | 7d 21h 56m |
| Selection | 1998 Cosmonaut Group |
| Missions | Soyuz TM-29 / Soyuz TM-28 |
| Mission insignia |  |
Ivan Bella (born 25 May 1964 in Brezno, Czechoslovakia (present Slovakia)) is a Slovak Air Force officer who became the first Slovak citizen to fly in space. He participated in an eight-day joint Russian-French-Slovak mission to the Mir space station in 1999.1
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Spaceflight
Bella began training as a Research Cosmonaut on March 25, 1998. He completed his training successfully at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in August of the same year.1
Bella launched along with mission commander Viktor Afanasyev and flight engineer Jean-Pierre Haigneré on the Soyuz TM-29 mission on February 20, 1999. TM-29 arrived at Mir on February 22. While on board the station Bella performed various scientific experiments as well as experiments involving the possibility of survival of Japanese Quails during long flights. Bella spent just over a week in space and returned to earth on February 28 aboard Soyuz TM-28 along with fellow crew member Gennady Padalka.123
Diplomatic career
In 2004, Bella was appointed to serve as a military attaché for Slovakia in Moscow, Russia.2
References
- ^ a b c "Bella". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 5 January 2009. http://web.archive.org/web/20090105101001/http://www.astronautix.com/astros/bella.htm. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
- ^ a b Britannica Educational Publishing (2009). Manned Spaceflight. Rosen Publishing Group. pp. 157. ISBN 1-61530-039-2. http://books.google.com/books?id=ZxkGKcFezu4C&pg=PA157&lpg=PA157&dq=ivan+bella#v=onepage&q=ivan%20bella&f=false.
- ^ "Mir Stefanik". Encyclopedia Astronautica. http://web.archive.org/web/20090103213214/http://www.astronautix.com/flights/mirfanik.htm. Retrieved 29 November 2010.