Dumitru Prunariu facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dumitru Dorin Prunariu
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| Born | 27 September 1952 Orașul Stalin, Stalin Region, Romanian People's Republic
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| Occupation | Aviator, engineer, and diplomat |
| Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union Hero of the Socialist Republic of Romania |
| Space career | |
| Intercosmos Cosmonaut | |
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Time in space
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7d 20h 42m |
| Selection | 1978 Intercosmos Group |
| Missions | Soyuz 40 |
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Mission insignia
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Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu (born September 27, 1952) is a famous Romanian cosmonaut, which is like an astronaut. He made history as the first Romanian to travel into space. He flew on the Soyuz 40 spacecraft and visited the Salyut 6 space laboratory. During his mission, he worked alongside Soviet cosmonaut Leonid Popov.
Contents
Dumitru Prunariu's Journey to Space
Early Life and Education
Dumitru Prunariu was born on September 27, 1952, in Brașov, Romania. He was a bright student and finished high school in Brașov in 1971. Later, in 1976, he graduated from the Politehnica University of Bucharest. He earned a special degree in Aerospace Engineering, which means he learned how to design and build aircraft and spacecraft.
After college, Prunariu started working as an engineer at an aircraft factory called Industria Aeronautică Română. In 1977, he joined the Romanian Air Force Officers Training School.
Becoming a Cosmonaut with Intercosmos
In 1978, Dumitru Prunariu was chosen for spaceflight training. This was part of a special program called Intercosmos. This program allowed cosmonauts from different countries to train and fly with Soviet cosmonauts.
Prunariu worked very hard and got the best scores during his three years of training. Because of his excellent performance, he was selected for a joint space mission. He flew with Ukrainian cosmonaut Leonid Popov.
In May 1981, they went on an eight-day space mission. They traveled aboard the Soyuz 40 spacecraft and worked in the Salyut 6 space laboratory. During their time in space, they did many scientific experiments. These experiments covered topics like astrophysics (the study of stars and planets), space radiation, space technology, space medicine, and biology.
Dumitru Prunariu became the 103rd person in the world to fly into space.
Life After Space Travel
After his space mission, Dumitru Prunariu continued to serve as an officer in the Romanian Air Force. He also took on important roles in other government departments. In 2007, he retired from the Air Force as a major general. He then continued his work as a civil servant. Later, in 2015, he was promoted to lieutenant-general (retired).
In 1990, Prunariu became the Deputy Minister for Transportation. He was also the Chief of the Romanian Civil Aviation Department for about a year and a half. He also studied International Aviation Management in Canada in 1991.
From 1998 to 2004, Prunariu was the President of the Romanian Space Agency. He also taught about geopolitics at the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest. For almost two years, starting in 2004, he served as Romania's Ambassador to Russia.
Prunariu has also played a big role at the United Nations. He was the Chairman of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS) from 2004 to 2006. He then became the Chairman of the main UN COPUOS committee from 2010 to 2012.
Today, Prunariu works as an expert for the Romanian Space Agency. He is also a member of the International Academy of Astronautics. Since 1992, he has represented Romania at the UN COPUOS meetings.
The Association of Space Explorers
In 1985, Dumitru Prunariu became one of the first members of the Association of Space Explorers (ASE). This group brings together astronauts and cosmonauts from all over the world. As of 2015, it has over 400 members from 36 countries.
From 1993 to 2004, he was ASE's representative at the UN COPUOS meetings. He also served on ASE's Executive Committee.
Prunariu has been very involved in helping protect Earth from asteroids. He helped organize workshops about how to deal with asteroid threats. He also helped promote a report called Asteroid Threats: A Call For Global Response at the UN.
In 2016, Prunariu suggested that the UN General Assembly create an International Asteroid Day. This day would be observed every year on June 30. It would remember the Tunguska impact in Siberia in 1908 and raise awareness about the danger of asteroids hitting Earth. The UN General Assembly approved this idea in October 2016.
Because of his important work, the co-founders of Asteroid Day named Prunariu the first Official Asteroid Day Ambassador. This shows how much he has done to help protect our planet.
In 2010, Prunariu was elected President of ASE Europe, a chapter of the association. In 2011, he became the President of ASE International for three years.
Personal Life
Dumitru Prunariu is married to Crina Prunariu, who was a diplomat. They have two sons and three grandchildren.
He also lent his voice to the robot BURN-E in the Romanian version of the animated movie WALL-E by Disney Pixar.
Awards and Special Recognitions
- In 1981, after his Soyuz 40 mission, Prunariu received the awards of Hero of the Socialist Republic of Romania and Hero of the Soviet Union. These are very high honors.
- In 1982, he received the Yuri Gagarin medal from the International Astronautic Federation.
- In 1984, he was given the Hermann Oberth Gold Medal by a German rocket society.
- On December 1, 2000, Prunariu was made a Grand Officer of the Order of the Star of Romania.
- On December 1, 2010, the President of Romania gave him the Order of Aeronautical Virtue.
- On April 12, 2011, the President of Russia awarded him the Medal for Merits in Space Exploration.
- On November 15, 2011, Prunariu became an Honorary Member of the Romanian Academy.
- He has also received honorary doctorates from several universities in Romania, Moldova, and the USA.
- He is an honorary citizen of several cities in Romania.
- A small main-belt asteroid, 10707 Prunariu, was named in his honor on April 13, 2017. This asteroid was discovered in 1981.
See also
In Spanish: Dumitru Prunariu para niños
- Dumitru Dediu
