Ivan Bella First Slovak cosmonaut Date of Birth: 21.05.1964 Country: Slovakia

1. Biography of Ivan Bella
2. Education and Military Service
3. Selection and Training as an Astronaut
4. First Space Flight
5. Post-Space Flight

Biography of Ivan Bella

Ivan Bella, the first Slovak astronaut, made his space flight in February 1999, which lasted for 7 days, 21 hours, and 56 minutes. He was born on May 21, 1964, in the village of Dolna Legota, in the district of Brezno, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia).

Education and Military Service

After completing high school in 1979, Bella attended the Military Gymnasium in Banska Bystrica from 1980 to 1983. He then enrolled in the Military Aviation Academy in Kosice, Slovakia, which he graduated from in 1987.

From 1987 to 1993, Bella served as a pilot and later as a senior pilot in the fighter aviation of the Czechoslovak Air Force. He then served as a navigator for the 33rd squadron of the Slovak Air Force's fighter-bomber aviation in Malacky, where he flew MiG-21 and Su-17 aircraft until 1998.

Selection and Training as an Astronaut

In February 1998, Bella, along with a group of four Slovak Air Force pilots, arrived at the Yuri A. Gagarin Russian State Scientific Research Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) for medical examinations under the "Stefanik" program, preparing for a joint Russian-Slovak space flight. On February 24, 1998, Bella was selected by Russian doctors as part of a three-person group, and on March 2, he was officially chosen by the Slovak side.

On March 23, 1998, Ivan arrived at the Yuri A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC), where he underwent general space training (GST) as part of the "SL" group from March 25 to August.

First Space Flight

On August 3, 1998, the Slovak side officially announced Ivan Bella's assignment to the main crew of the "Soyuz TM-29" spacecraft. The crew compositions were approved by the State Commission on August 15, and from August 27, 1998, to February 2, 1999, Bella underwent direct flight training as part of a crew consisting of Commander Viktor Afanasyev and Flight Engineer Jean-Pierre Haigneré.

On February 20, 1999, Ivan Bella embarked on his first space flight aboard the Soyuz TM-29 spacecraft, becoming the first Slovak astronaut (and Slovakia became the 29th country to send its citizen into space). On February 22, the Soyuz TM-29 docked with the Mir orbital station, where the EO-26 crew, Gennady Padalka and Sergei Avdeyev, were stationed.

After conducting planned experiments and crew rotation on the station, Bella and Padalka returned to Earth on February 28 aboard the Soyuz TM-28 spacecraft. His spaceflight lasted for 7 days, 21 hours, and 56 minutes.

Post-Space Flight

Upon his return, Bella was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Slovak Air Force and was awarded the Order of Courage on June 21, 1999. In August 2001, an asteroid was named 22901 Ivanbella in honor of Ivan Bella.

In 2003, Ivan Bella was promoted to the rank of Colonel, and in 2004, he was appointed as the Military Attaché at the Embassy of Slovakia in Russia. In this role, Bella deals with issues of international cooperation in the field of armaments and disarmament and serves as a member of the commission on space research and utilization.

Ivan Bella is married and has two children from his previous marriage.