În perioada 14 mai 1981, ora 20 16` 38” (ora Bucureștiului) și 22 mai 1981, ora 16 58` (ora Bucureștiului), aflându-se aproape opt zile  în spațiul cosmic la bordul navei ”Soyuz-40” și laboratorul spațial ”Saliut-6”, Dumitru – Dorin Prunariu a devenit primul român din istorie care a zburat în spațiu și al 103 – lea astronaut din lume.

Pe 14 mai 1981, România devine a 11-a țară din lume având un astronaut în spațiu.

Date biografice aici: https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumitru_Prunariu

TVR 60: Dumitru Prunariu, despre culisele zborului în spaţiul cosmic din 14 mai 1981

Iată ce scrie în presa vremii :

Rumanian Said to Dock With Soviet Spacecraft

”MOSCOW — The world’s first Romanian cosmonaut, accompanied by a Soviet veteran, docked a Soyuz-40 space capsule Friday with an orbiting space station manned by two other cosmonauts, Western space observers said.The linkup of the Soyuz and the Salyut-6 space station took place sometime between 11:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. Moscow time (3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. EDT), the observers said. (…)                               

The pairing of a Soviet and Romanian completes the goal of the Russian-run Interkosmos program to launch a citizen of each of Moscow’s East European allies into space.                                                                                                                         In addition to the Warsaw Pact nations, Soviet commanders have flown with crewmates from Vietnam, Cuba and Mongolia.                                                      Popov and Prunariu are likely to be the last men to dock with the Salyut-6 research lab, which has served nearly four years as the backbone of the Soviet space program. The space station is about the size of a house trailer.”                           (Sursa: UPI ARCHIVES, 15 May 1981, By John Moody)

Russian and Rumanian Are Launched Into Orbit

”A Rumanian astronaut and his Soviet commander were launched into space today aboard a Soyuz 40 spacecraft, Tass, the official press agency, announced.

Dumitru Prunariu, a 28-year-old senior lieutenant in the Rumanian Air Force, and Lieut Col. Leonid Popov, 36, of the Soviet Air Force, were reported to be in good condition after the launching at 1:17 P.M., New York time. (…)

Tass said that the astronauts would dock with the Salyut 6 space station, where two astronauts, Col. Vladimir Kovalyonok of the Soviet Air Force and Viktor P. Savinykh, a civilian engineer, have been working since March 14.” (Sursa: New York Times, May 15, 1981, Page 00012)

Soviet and Rumanian Astronauts Return After a Week of Orbiting

”A Soviet astronaut and a Rumanian astronaut returned to earth today after a week in orbit aboard the Soviet space station Salyut 6, Tass, the official Soviet press agency, reported.The Rumanian, Dumitru Prunariu, and the flight commander, Leonid Popov of the Soviet Union, successfully completed their mission in the Soyuz 40 spacecraft, the agency reported.They landed at 5:58 P.M. in the Central Asian republic of Kazakhstan, Soviet television reported. Two astronauts, who were sent into space March 14, Vladimir Kovalyonok and Viktor Savinykh, are still aboard the orbiting space station.”                                                                                                                            (Sursa: New York Times, May 23, 1981, Page 001009)

A consemnat,

Lucreția Berzintu