Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu (; born 27 September 1952) is a Romanian
cosmonaut. He flew in space aboard
Soyuz 40 spacecraft and
Salyut 6 space laboratory. He teamed with the Soviet cosmonaut
Leonid Popov
Leonid Ivanovich Popov (russian: Леони́д Ива́нович Попо́в; born August 31, 1945) is a former Soviet cosmonaut.
Biography
Popov was born in Oleksandriia, Kirovohrad Oblast, Ukrainian SSR. He was selected as a cosmonaut on ...
. The backup crew was made of Romanian candidate cosmonaut
Dumitru Dediu
Dumitru Dediu (12 May 1942 in Galaţi – July 2013) was a pilot in the Romanian Air Force and cosmonaut candidate that was assigned as the backup for Dumitru Prunariu.
Information
In 1978, Dediu was selected as the backup for Dumitru Prunariu f ...
and Soviet cosmonaut
Yuri Romanenko.
Biography
Early life and career
Born on 27 September 1952 in
Brașov, Romania, Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu graduated in 1971 from the Physics and Mathematics high school in Brașov and in 1976 from the
Politehnica University of Bucharest, obtaining a degree in
Aerospace Engineering
Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is si ...
.
Prunariu worked as a Diploma Engineer at
Industria Aeronautică Română, an aircraft industry facility, prior to enrolling in the
Romanian Air Force Officers Training School in 1977.
Intercosmos program
He was selected for spaceflight training in 1978 as a part of the
Intercosmos Program. Having obtained the highest marks during three years of preparation, he was then selected for a joint space flight with the Russian cosmonaut
Leonid Popov
Leonid Ivanovich Popov (russian: Леони́д Ива́нович Попо́в; born August 31, 1945) is a former Soviet cosmonaut.
Biography
Popov was born in Oleksandriia, Kirovohrad Oblast, Ukrainian SSR. He was selected as a cosmonaut on ...
. In May 1981 they completed an eight-day space mission on board
Soyuz 40 and the
Salyut 6 space laboratory where they completed scientific experiments in the fields of
astrophysics
Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...
,
space radiation,
space technology,
space medicine and biology.
Prunariu is the 103rd human being to fly into space.
Career after Intercosmos

Since 1978 Prunariu was an active officer of the
Romanian Air Force. For different periods of time Prunariu was detached within other ministries to perform civil functions. In 2007 he completely retired from the Air Force with the military rank of major general, continuing his professional activity as a civil servant. At the end of 2015, by a decree of the President of Romania, Prunariu received the 3rd star, becoming a lieutenant-general (ret.).
In January 1990 Prunariu was assigned the position of Deputy Minister to the Ministry of Transportation and Chief of the Romanian Civil Aviation Department, exercising this position for 1.5 years. In 1991 Prunariu graduated from the International Aviation Management Training Institute (IAMTI/IIFGA) located in Montreal, Canada – being after 1989 the first Romanian accomplishing a two-month training for higher managers of civil aviation institutions.
Between 1992 and 1993 Prunariu was a Co-leader of the
World Bank Project on reorganization of the higher education and research system in Romania.
Since 1995 Prunariu is the Vice-President of the International Institute for Risk, Security and Communication Management (EURISC), Bucharest.
Between 1998 and 2004 Prunariu was the President of the
Romanian Space Agency
The Romanian Space Agency (ROSA; ) is a public institution with extra-budgetary funding which coordinates Romania's national space technology research programs and space research-related activities. ROSA was founded in 1991 and is subordinated t ...
, and since 2000 an Associate Professor on Geopolitics within the Faculty of International Business and Economics, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania.
For almost two years, starting with May 2004, he was the itinerary Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to the Russian Federation.
In 2002 Prunariu was elected as the Chairman of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the UN COPUOS for the period February 2004 – February 2006, and in 2009 he was elected the Chairman of the UN COPUOS for the period of June 2010 – June 2012, accomplishing successfully his duties.
Between 2006 and 2008 Prunariu accomplished the duties of the Director of the
Romanian Office for Science and Technology to the European Commission (ROST) in Brussels.
Currently, Prunariu is working for the
Romanian Space Agency
The Romanian Space Agency (ROSA; ) is a public institution with extra-budgetary funding which coordinates Romania's national space technology research programs and space research-related activities. ROSA was founded in 1991 and is subordinated t ...
as an expert within the Romanian Association for Space Technology and Industry – ROMSPACE.
In 2012 Prunariu was appointed as one of the 15 experts of the Group of Governmental Experts on outer space transparency and confidence-building measures, established by the UN General Assembly Resolution 65/68.
Since 1992 Prunariu is a member of the
International Academy of Astronautics, being one of the trustees of the Academy, and since 1994 a member of the Romanian National
COSPAR Committee. Since 1992 he has represented the Government of Romania to the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS) sessions. In 2014 Prunariu was elected for a three years term as the vice-chairman of the International Relations Committee of ESA.
Prunariu was also a member of the task force elaborating a report on Space Security for Europe in the framework of the European Institute for Security Studies (EUISS), issued in 2016.
Association of Space Explorers
In 1985 Prunariu joined, as one of the founding members, the
Association of Space Explorers (ASE) which (as of 2015) has over 400 members flown into outer space from 36 countries.

Between 1993 and 2004 he has been the permanent representative of ASE at
United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN
COPUOS
The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) is a United Nations committee whose main task is to review and foster international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, as well as to consider legal issues ar ...
) sessions.
Since 1996 Prunariu has been a member of the Executive Committee of ASE for two terms of tree years each. Since 2005 Prunariu has been a member of the ASE NEO Committee, taking part in several important activities connected with the subject, and organizing in 2007 in Romania one of the four international workshops of the ASE International Panel on Asteroid Threat Mitigation. Prunariu was the main interface in promoting the ASE International Panel's Report ''Asteroid Threats: A Call For Global Response'' at the level of the UN COPUOS as a working document for the specialized bodies of this UN Committee.
In 2016, at the 53rd session of UN STS COPUOS, on behalf of the Association of Space Explorers, Prunariu proposed the proclamation by the UN General Assembly of the International Asteroid Day to observe each year at the international level the anniversary of the Tunguska impact over Siberia, Russian Federation, on 30 June 1908 and to raise public awareness about the asteroid impact hazard. The proposal was adopted by the UN General Assembly at its 71st session in October 2016.
Asteroid Day co-founders declared Prunariu as the 1st Official Asteroid Day Ambassador for his great service and for helping protect Planet Earth from asteroid impacts.
In October 2010, at the XXIII Congress of the ASE, D. Prunariu was elected the President of the new organized Chapter of the association, ASE Europe, holding this position for 6 years. At the XXIV Congress of ASE, in September 2011 D. Prunariu was elected for a three years term the President of ASE International.
Publications
Prunariu is a co-author of several books regarding space technology and space flight and has presented/published numerous scientific papers. His PhD thesis produced new developments in the field of space flight dynamics.
Personal life
Prunariu is married to Crina Prunariu, a retired diplomat from the Romania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and has two sons and three grandchildren.
He is the voice of the robot BURN-E in the Romanian dubbed version of the animated film ''WALL-E'' made by Disney Pixar.
Awards and honors
* In 1981, after completing the Soyuz 40 mission, Prunariu received the awards of
Hero of the Socialist Republic of Romania and
Hero of the Soviet Union.
* In 1982 Prunariu was awarded the ''Yuri Gagarin'' medal of the International Astronautic Federation.
* In 1984 he was awarded the ''Hermann Oberth Gold Medal'' by the German Rocket Society ''Hermann Oberth – Wernher von Braun''.
* On 1 December 2000, Prunariu was appointed a Grand Officer of the
Order of the Star of Romania.
* On 1 December 2010 he was awarded by the President of Romania the Order ''Aeronautical virtue''.
* On 12 April 2011 Prunariu was awarded by the President of the Russian Federation the ''Medal for Merits in Space Exploration''.
* On 15 November 2011, Prunariu was elected as an Honorary Member of the Romanian Academy.
* Prunariu is a Doctor Honoris Causa of several universities from Romania, Republic of Moldova and USA.
* Prunariu is an honorary citizen of several cities in Romania.
* The inner
main-belt asteroid
10707 Prunariu, discovered by American astronomer
Schelte Bus at the Californian
Palomar Observatory
Palomar Observatory is an astronomical research observatory in San Diego County, California, United States, in the Palomar Mountain Range. It is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Research time at the observat ...
in 1981, was named in his honor on 13 April 2017 ().
See also
*
Dumitru Dediu
Dumitru Dediu (12 May 1942 in Galaţi – July 2013) was a pilot in the Romanian Air Force and cosmonaut candidate that was assigned as the backup for Dumitru Prunariu.
Information
In 1978, Dediu was selected as the backup for Dumitru Prunariu f ...
References
External links
Website of the Romanian Space Agency''Cosmonautul Prunariu, trimis în rezervă'' ("Cosmonaut Prunariu, discharged from active duty") in ''
Adevărul
''Adevărul'' (; meaning "The Truth", formerly spelled ''Adevĕrul'') is a Romanian daily newspaper, based in Bucharest. Founded in Iași, in 1871, and reestablished in 1888, in Bucharest, it was the main left-wing press venue to be published dur ...
'', 7 February 2007
''O cariera cosmica: Dumitru Prunariu'' in ''
Cariere'', Mai 6, 2003
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prunariu, Dumitru
1952 births
Living people
Romanian Air Force generals
Romanian aerospace engineers
Romanian cosmonauts
Politehnica University of Bucharest alumni
People from Brașov
Ambassadors of Romania to Russia
Grand Officers of the Order of the Star of Romania
Heroes of the Soviet Union
Recipients of the Order of Lenin
Honorary members of the Romanian Academy
Recipients of the Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration"
Salyut program cosmonauts
Romanian generals