Romania continues the program

Abstract

Better known to his family and friends by his second name, Dorin, Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu is the son of an automobile engineer and a lady teacher. He was born on 27 September 1952 in the medieval city of Brasov, in Central Romania. During primary and secondary school he developed an early passion for flying machines, and was designing and building model airplanes along with other aviation enthusiasts from the Pioneer House in Brasov. During high school, together with a few colleagues, he built model rockets as a member of the ‘Cosmos Messengers’ Club, organized by a passionate teacher of his school. “Since I was a little boy I have had the desire to fly,” he once stated. “I would shut my eyes and feel as if floating over the mountains and valleys, and discover new lands. The blue abyss and the infinite heights have always captivated me.”1 In a national contest, he was awarded a Bronze Medal for the design and construction of a rocket launching facility, and a Golden Medal for the design of a Classroom for Future Education. He then joined the ‘Minitehnicus’ National Club and received membership card no 103. Coincidentally, 11 years later he became the world’s 103rd cosmonaut.