site.btaBTA's "Bulgarian Footprint in Space" Presented to Students in Odesa

The April issue of BTA's LIK magazine, dedicated to the Bulgarian footprint in space, was presented at the BTA press club in the Ukrainian Black Sea city of Odesa to an audience of 11th-graders from the local Law Lyceum.

For more than five years now, senior-level students at the lyceum have studied Bulgarian, and those of them who are of Bulgarian descent have been able to apply for admission to institutions of higher learning in Bulgaria. The presentation of the magazine was held during a Bulgarian language class.

The young people were greeted in a live video message by LIK editor Yanitsa Hristova, who described the content of the issue.

Hristova noted that the first Bulgarian cosmonaut Georgi Ivanov flew in space 45 years ago on April 10. "This inspired us to make a whole LIK issue about space and the contribution of Bulgarian science to space exploration," she said.

In the magazine, readers will find an interview with Ivanov, who shares his memories about the 1979 two-man Soyuz space flight, in which he participated, with Soviet cosmonaut Nikolai Rukavishnikov as mission commander. Ivanov describes tough moments during the training period, but notes that this mission remains the most exciting experience in his life. Addressing present-day children who dream of becoming space explorers, Ivanov urges them to pursue their dreams, Hristova said.

LIK: The Bulgarian Footprint in Space also includes interviews with scientists. One of them is Vladimir Bozhilov, an astrophysicist and a professor of physics in Bulgaria, who explains why outer space has always been an inspiration for humankind. Molecular biologist Milena Georgieva describes how space impacts the human body and why the future of humanity is linked to space travel. The issue features a thematic timeline drawing on the BTA archive, based on news about space published since the 1950s.

The students watched the presentation with interest. It also included a video showing how Bulgarian space exploration is covered in the BTA archive.