History of BulgariaHistory of Bulgaria
A spacecraft descent capsule in a museum, isolated from the photograph.
Soyuz 33 capsule

Georgi Ivanov · 20th century

Into orbit, without docking

How did they get home safely?

9 scenes · 5 min · Sources · 13

StartListen

Georgi Ivanov’s flight, the failure near Salyut 6 and the surviving descent capsule.

Blue work suit on the left and pale pressure suit with helmet on the right behind museum glass.

Part 1 · 20th century

Two seats, one station

On 10 April 1979, Soyuz 33 lifted off from Baikonur. Inside were commander Nikolai Rukavishnikov and cosmonaut-researcher Georgi Ivanov, the first Bulgarian in space. Their destination was the Salyut 6 orbital station.

The flight belonged to Interkosmos, a programme of joint space research. Partner countries also prepared scientific instruments of their own. Ivanov was meant to work inside the station, rather than simply reach orbit. A museum display now holds his pressure suit and work suit. They suggest the different tasks aboard a spacecraft. But his work inside the station never began. What interrupted the flight to the station?

Listen to scene · 1

Synthetic voice · 0:42
Sources · 4
  1. European Space Agency Soyuz 33 patch, 1979 ESA Multimedia · 2007
  2. Rositsa Miteva 40 years since the flight of the first Bulgarian cosmonaut Georgi Ivanov Author preprint / ResearchGate · 2019 · 1–3
  3. David S. F. Portree / NASA Johnson Space Center Mir Hardware Heritage NASA Reference Publication · 1995 · 1357 · 31, 81–82, 180
  4. Scroch Soyuz 33 space and work suits.jpg Wikimedia Commons
Low city buildings amid dry steppe, photographed from an aircraft in 2004. The photograph does not show the 1979 launch.
Geographic context, without historical bordersGeographic context, without historical borders12
Geographic context, without historical borders

Part 2 · 20th century

From launch to museum

The map marks two places we can locate: Baikonur Cosmodrome in present-day Kazakhstan and the Aviation Museum at Krumovo, near Plovdiv. One is the flight’s starting point. The other preserves the descent module that brought both cosmonauts home.

This is not an orbital track. The Baikonur point marks a general area, not the exact launch pad. The photograph shows the nearby city in 2004, not the 1979 launch. Between these places lies a short flight that would not end with the planned docking. The next image shows how the joint mission was presented.

Listen to scene · 2

Synthetic voice · 0:36
Sources · 5
  1. Rositsa Miteva 40 years since the flight of the first Bulgarian cosmonaut Georgi Ivanov Author preprint / ResearchGate · 2019 · 1–3
  2. Музей на авиацията – филиал на Националния военноисторически музей Вътрешна експозиция. Official museum collection page airmuseum-bg.com
  3. Aviation Museum, Krumovo Visit the Aviation Museum
  4. Wikimedia contributors Baikonur Cosmodrome: geographical record Wikimedia geographical database
  5. Bill Ingalls / NASA Baikonuriss.jpg — NASA photograph JSC2004-E-44243 Wikimedia Commons · 2004
Shield-shaped emblem with two flags, USSR–NRB lettering and the Interkosmos symbol.

Part 3 · 20th century

Two flags on one emblem

Look at the emblem. At the top are the Soviet flag and the Bulgarian flag of that period. Beneath them is USSR–NRB lettering, with the Interkosmos symbol below. This is a graphic reproduction of the mission emblem, not a photograph of a textile patch flown in space.

The European Space Agency attributes its design and production to Zvezda. Reading its layout as a statement of cooperation is an interpretation of what we can see. The emblem alone cannot establish that the visit happened. For that, we need the account of the station approach. The emblem shows how the mission was presented; flight accounts describe what actually happened.

1 · The two flags
The Soviet flag is on the left; the Bulgarian flag of that period is on the right.
2 · USSR–NRB
The lettering names the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of Bulgaria.
3 · Interkosmos
The joint programme’s name appears on the emblem.

Listen to scene · 3

Synthetic voice · 0:40
Sources · 2
  1. European Space Agency Soyuz 33 patch, 1979 ESA Multimedia · 2007
  2. Soviet space program Soyuz-33 patch.png Wikimedia Commons
Gold-coloured cylindrical space-station model in a museum display.

Part 4 · 20th century

Three seconds instead of six

During the approach, the main engine was supposed to burn for 6 seconds. It stopped after 3. The station crew reported a flame pointing sideways towards the backup engine. Igla, the docking system, also shut down.

Portree describes an engine burn less than 4 kilometres from the station, while Miteva gives 3–3.5 kilometres. These accounts do not necessarily contradict each other and do not establish the exact distance at failure. What is clear is that docking was cancelled. An engine was now needed to bring the crew home. The backup fired for the deorbit burn but did not stop at the planned time. Rukavishnikov shut it down manually. Portree describes the ensuing steep ballistic reentry.

Listen to scene · 4

Synthetic voice · 0:43
Sources · 2
  1. David S. F. Portree / NASA Johnson Space Center Mir Hardware Heritage NASA Reference Publication · 1995 · 1357 · 31, 81–82, 180
  2. Rositsa Miteva 40 years since the flight of the first Bulgarian cosmonaut Georgi Ivanov Author preprint / ResearchGate · 2019 · 1–3

Part 5 · 20th century

Activity: why no visit?

Why did Ivanov not enter Salyut 6?

  1. Main-engine failure ended the docking attempt.
  2. The flight ends during launch.
  3. The visit ended normally before the return.
Why is that?

The flight reached space, but docking was cancelled after main-engine failure.

Correct · Main-engine failure ended the docking attempt.

  1. David S. F. Portree / NASA Johnson Space Center Mir Hardware Heritage NASA Reference Publication · 1995 · 1357 · 31, 81–82, 180
  2. European Space Agency Soyuz 33 patch, 1979 ESA Multimedia · 2007

Listen to scene · 5

Synthetic voice · 0:03
Sources · 2
  1. David S. F. Portree / NASA Johnson Space Center Mir Hardware Heritage NASA Reference Publication · 1995 · 1357 · 31, 81–82, 180
  2. European Space Agency Soyuz 33 patch, 1979 ESA Multimedia · 2007
Bell-shaped capsule with dark and brown exterior, a circular window and a parachute to its left.

Part 6 · 20th century

The object that came home

On 12 April both men returned alive. Portree reports reentry loads reaching up to 10 times Earth’s gravitational acceleration. Reentry followed a steep ballistic trajectory.

The photograph shows the surviving descent capsule. Its round window and compact body suggest the space in which the crew returned. The museum confirms the module’s provenance. The failed main engine is not here: its service module was discarded after the deorbit burn. That prevented examination of the engine itself after the flight. The surviving object tells us about the return, but it cannot supply every answer about the failure.

1 · Window
A round window is visible on the surviving descent module.
2 · Descent module
The museum identifies this module as the capsule in which Ivanov and Rukavishnikov landed.
3 · This is not the whole spacecraft
This point marks the capsule’s upper edge, not an engine location. The service module with the failed engine is not preserved here.

Listen to scene · 6

Synthetic voice · 0:37
Sources · 3
  1. David S. F. Portree / NASA Johnson Space Center Mir Hardware Heritage NASA Reference Publication · 1995 · 1357 · 31, 81–82, 180
  2. Музей на авиацията – филиал на Националния военноисторически музей Вътрешна експозиция. Official museum collection page airmuseum-bg.com
  3. Scroch Soyuz 33 descent module.jpg Wikimedia Commons

Part 7 · 20th century

Activity: put the flight in order

Put the events in order, earliest first.

  1. Launch from Baikonur
  2. Main engine fails
  3. Backup engine fires
  4. Ballistic reentry and landing
Why is that?

Launch came before the approach. Failure cancelled docking; the backup engine was used for the return before atmospheric entry.

Correct order

  1. Launch from Baikonur
  2. Main engine fails
  3. Backup engine fires
  4. Ballistic reentry and landing
  1. David S. F. Portree / NASA Johnson Space Center Mir Hardware Heritage NASA Reference Publication · 1995 · 1357 · 31, 81–82, 180

Listen to scene · 7

Synthetic voice · 0:03
Sources · 1
  1. David S. F. Portree / NASA Johnson Space Center Mir Hardware Heritage NASA Reference Publication · 1995 · 1357 · 31, 81–82, 180
Circular yellow, blue and red emblem with Interkosmos lettering on a sleeve.

Part 8 · 20th century

What became of the science

Ivanov never reached the station. Bulgarian scientific instruments nevertheless had a history beyond this flight. Spectrum-15 was a 15-channel spectrometer used for atmospheric studies from Salyut 6, including pollution above cities and industrial centres. It was developed at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences for the first Bulgarian cosmonaut programme.

Another instrument, Daga, was a photometer designed to observe the atmosphere through a station window. Mardirosyan reports that subsequent crews used the Bulgarian equipment. These were not experiments Ivanov performed aboard Salyut 6. The first Bulgarian in space returned without making the visit; work with the instruments continued with other people aboard.

Listen to scene · 8

Synthetic voice · 0:44
Sources · 3
  1. Гаро Мардиросян Българската академия на науките и космическите изследвания PDF Наука / Съюз на учените в България · 2019 · XXIX · 24–29
  2. D. Mishev; abstract indexed by NASA Scientific and Technical Information An atmospheric study by “Spectrum-15” on board of the Salyut-6 orbital station PDF 32nd International Astronautical Congress, Rome; NASA Earth Resources: A Continuing Bibliography with Indexes, SP-7041 · 1981 · 10-page conference paper; NASA abstract p. 216
  3. Борис Комитов / Институт по астрономия, БАН (хост на PDF) Мечтата за Космоса PDF Авторски спомени · 7–8

Part 9 · 20th century

Activity: match the purposes

Match each object to its description in the story.

  1. Spectrum-15 · Spectrometer for studying the atmosphere
  2. Daga · Photometer for the station window
  3. The descent module at Krumovo · Brought both cosmonauts home
Why is that?

The two scientific instruments observed the atmosphere in different ways. The descent module brought people home.

  1. D. Mishev; abstract indexed by NASA Scientific and Technical Information An atmospheric study by “Spectrum-15” on board of the Salyut-6 orbital station PDF 32nd International Astronautical Congress, Rome; NASA Earth Resources: A Continuing Bibliography with Indexes, SP-7041 · 1981 · 10-page conference paper; NASA abstract p. 216
  2. Борис Комитов / Институт по астрономия, БАН (хост на PDF) Мечтата за Космоса PDF Авторски спомени · 7–8
  3. Музей на авиацията – филиал на Националния военноисторически музей Вътрешна експозиция. Official museum collection page airmuseum-bg.com

Listen to scene · 9

Synthetic voice · 0:03
Sources · 3
  1. D. Mishev; abstract indexed by NASA Scientific and Technical Information An atmospheric study by “Spectrum-15” on board of the Salyut-6 orbital station PDF 32nd International Astronautical Congress, Rome; NASA Earth Resources: A Continuing Bibliography with Indexes, SP-7041 · 1981 · 10-page conference paper; NASA abstract p. 216
  2. Борис Комитов / Институт по астрономия, БАН (хост на PDF) Мечтата за Космоса PDF Авторски спомени · 7–8
  3. Музей на авиацията – филиал на Националния военноисторически музей Вътрешна експозиция. Official museum collection page airmuseum-bg.com

A new find for your collection

Reaching orbit, docking and returning safely are different tasks. Bulgarian science continued with other crews.

BuzludzhaWhy build a “flying saucer”?See how people lived and worked in another period.Madara Rider · MadaraThe rider above the pathGabrovo school of 1835 · GabrovoHow a school changed a town

People in this story

Georgi IvanovNikolai Rukavishnikov

Sources

  1. Wikimedia contributors Baikonur Cosmodrome: geographical record Wikimedia geographical database
  2. European Space Agency Soyuz 33 patch, 1979 ESA Multimedia · 2007
  3. Борис Комитов / Институт по астрономия, БАН (хост на PDF) Мечтата за Космоса PDF Авторски спомени · 7–8
  4. Гаро Мардиросян Българската академия на науките и космическите изследвания PDF Наука / Съюз на учените в България · 2019 · XXIX · 24–29
  5. D. Mishev; abstract indexed by NASA Scientific and Technical Information An atmospheric study by “Spectrum-15” on board of the Salyut-6 orbital station PDF 32nd International Astronautical Congress, Rome; NASA Earth Resources: A Continuing Bibliography with Indexes, SP-7041 · 1981 · 10-page conference paper; NASA abstract p. 216
  6. Rositsa Miteva 40 years since the flight of the first Bulgarian cosmonaut Georgi Ivanov Author preprint / ResearchGate · 2019 · 1–3
  7. Музей на авиацията – филиал на Националния военноисторически музей Вътрешна експозиция. Official museum collection page airmuseum-bg.com
  8. Aviation Museum, Krumovo Visit the Aviation Museum
  9. Bill Ingalls / NASA Baikonuriss.jpg — NASA photograph JSC2004-E-44243 Wikimedia Commons · 2004
  10. Scroch Soyuz 33 descent module.jpg Wikimedia Commons
  11. Soviet space program Soyuz-33 patch.png Wikimedia Commons
  12. Scroch Soyuz 33 space and work suits.jpg Wikimedia Commons
  13. David S. F. Portree / NASA Johnson Space Center Mir Hardware Heritage NASA Reference Publication · 1995 · 1357 · 31, 81–82, 180

Images

Scroch · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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Photo: Scroch / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Cut-out detail; background removed.

Scroch · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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Photo: Scroch / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Processed image.

Photo

Bill Ingalls · Public domain · NASA / Wikimedia Commons

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Photo: Bill Ingalls / NASA, via Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Processed image. Archival photograph · 2004

Soviet space program · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

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Source: Soviet space program / Wikimedia Commons. Public domain. Processed image.

4throck · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

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Photo: 4throck / Wikimedia Commons, CC0. Processed image.

Scroch · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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Photo: Scroch / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Processed image.

Scroch · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

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Photo: Scroch / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Processed image.

Geographic context, without historical borders

Tom Patterson · Nathaniel Vaughn Kelso · Public domain · Natural Earth

Open source

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Tom Patterson · Nathaniel Vaughn Kelso