In the Eighties Hungary was truly excited about its first cosmonaut going to space. Bertalan Farkas along with Soviet cosmonaut Valery Kubasov, was launched into space on Soyuz 36 from Baikonur Cosmodrome on May 26, 1980 as part of the Interkosmos (or Intercosmos) program. The following photos were issued in one pack before the flight, they depict the cornerstones of the Soviet space program and the life of the cosmonauts.
"Earth is the cradle of humanity, but one cannot live in a cradle forever" - said Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky, Russian and Soviet rocket scientist, pioneer of the astronautic theory, founder of the Soviet space exploration. In the photo is the Tsiolkovsky State Museum of the History of Cosmonautics in Kaluga, the first museum in the world dedicated to the history of space exploration.
Yuri Gagarin, Soviet pilot and cosmonaut, the first human to journey into outer space. His Vostok 1 spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on 12 April 1961.
Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova, the first woman to have flown in space.
Pavel Belyayev and Alexey Leonov on aboard the Voskhod-2 spacecraft. Leonov became the first person to ever to conduct a spacewalk on the 18th of March, 1965.
From left to right: Yevgeny Khrunov, Aleksei Yeliseyev, Vladimir Shatalov and Boris Volynov, the Fab Four, crews of Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5. They made the first docking between two manned craft in Earth orbit and exchange of crews in space in january 1969, forming a so called space station of the two spacecraft.
October 1969: Soyuz 6, 7 and 8 were part of a joint mission that sent three Soyuz spacecraft into orbit together at the same time, carrying seven cosmonauts pictured below (from left to right): Vladimir Shatalov, Viktor Gorbatko, Valeri Kubasov, Anatoly Filipchenko, Aleksei Yeliseyev, Vladislav Volkov, Georgi Shonin.
crew members of the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (ASTP), the first joint U.S.–Soviet space flight.
The Salyut program was the first space station program undertaken by the Soviet Union. In the photo is the Salyut 6 orbital laboratory under construction.
Meeting aboard the Salyut-6: Yuri Romanenko and Georgi Grechko (Soyuz-26 crew) worked together with Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Oleg Makarov (Soyuz-27 crew) for 5 days in January 1978.
Crew of the Soyuz-28, the first mission in the Intercosmos program. On the left is Vladimír Remek the first Czechoslovak in space and the first cosmonaut from a country other than the Soviet Union or the United States. His crewmate was Aleksei Gubarev Soviet cosmonaut.
The Baikonur Cosmodrome.
The Soyuz 30 was another Intercosmos space flight to the Salyut 6 space station in 1978. The crew (l-r): Pyotr Klimuk and Mirosław Hermaszewski, the first Polish cosmonaut.
The Spyuz-29 crew, Commander Vladimir Kovalyonok and flight engineer Aleksandr Ivanchenkov set a new space-endurance record of 139 days on aboard the Salyut 6 space station in 1978.
Sigmund Jähn (signing the Soyuz 29 capsule after returning to Earth) became the first German to fly in space via the Intercosmos program. On the left is Valery Bykovsky.
Cosmonauts Vladimir Lyakhov and Valery Ryumin, the crew of Soyuz 32. They spent 175 days aboard the Salyut-6, setting a new space endurance record.
Launch of the Progress 5 expendable freighter spacecraft, carrying supply to the Salyut 6 space station.
Nikolai Rukavishnikov and Georgi Ivanov, the first Bulgarian cosmonaut (left) crew of the Soyuz 33 mission, the 9th flight to the Salyut 6. Because of an engine failure the mission had to be aborted, and the crew had to return to earth before docking with the station in 1979.
Two Hungarian cosmonaut candidates: Bertalan Farkas (l) and Bela Magyari (r), first class fighter pilots of the Hungarian People's Army.
Bertalan Farkas became the first and only Hunarian cosmonaut thanks to the Intercosmos program.
Bertalan Farkas and his wife in Budapest.
Hungarian scientists developed several space instruments.
Bertalan Farkas trains with his fellow pilots in Kecskemet, Hungary.
The Soyuz 36 crew in the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. On the left: commander Valery Kubasov, on the right: Research Cosmonaut Bertalan Farkas.
The Soyuz 36 crew discussing the flight plan.
Cosmonauts and their families visiting each other in Star City where they have lived and trained.
Valery Kubasov and Bertalan Farkas are prepared for the flight.
Leonid Popov and Valery Ryumin, crew members of the Soyuz 35. They spent 185 days in space, setting a new space endurance record.
Cover of the photo set. The title is in Hungarian: "People In Cosmos"