Vladimír Remek | |
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| Czech Republic Ambassador toRussia | |
| In office 16 January 2014 – 31 January 2018 | |
| President | Miloš Zeman |
| Preceded by | Petr Kolář |
| Succeeded by | Vladimír Pivoňka |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 20 July 2004 – 15 December 2013 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1948-09-26)26 September 1948 (age 77) České Budějovice, Czechoslovakia |
| Nationality |
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| Political party |
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| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Occupation | Pilot,cosmonaut, politician, ambassador |
| Awards | |
| Signature |  |
| Website | vladimirremek |
| Nickname | Volodya[6] |
| Military career | |
| Branch | Czechoslovak Air Force |
| Years of service | 1970–1995 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | 1st Fighter Air Regiment |
| Commands | Deputy, 2nd Air Defense Division |
| Space career | |
| Intercosmos Cosmonaut | |
Time in space | 7d 22h 17m[7] |
| Selection | Air Force Group 6 |
| Missions | Soyuz 28 |
Mission insignia |  |
Vladimír Remek (born 26 September 1948) is a Czech politician and diplomat, as well as a formercosmonaut andmilitary pilot. He flew aboardSoyuz 28 from 2 to 10 March 1978, becoming the first and onlyCzechoslovak in space. As the first cosmonaut from a country other than theSoviet Union or theUnited States, and with the entry of theCzech Republic andSlovakia into theEuropean Union, Remek is considered to be the first astronaut from the European Union. Remek was a member of theEuropean Parliament between 2004 and 2013 for theCommunist Party of Bohemia and Moravia. From 2014 to 2018, he was theCzech Ambassador to Russia.
Remek was born on 26 September 1948 inČeské Budějovice (now in theCzech Republic).[8] He spent two years studying at theobservatory in Kraví hora,Brno between 1962 and 1964.[9] Remek was influenced by his father, Jozef Remek, himself a military pilot.[10]Remek was an active member both in thePioneers and theCzechoslovak Union of Youth. He studied mathematics and physics at middle school inČáslav where he earned awards intrack running the400-meter,800-meter, and1,500-meter events. Remek graduated in 1966 and proceeded toVyšší Letecké Učiliště, an aviation school inKošice, where he trained in anAero L-29 Delfín.[11] Remek graduated in 1970, and was commissioned as a lieutenant in theCzechoslovak Air Force.[8][12] Remek served as a fighter pilot, flyingMiG-21s in the 1st Fighter Air Regiment.[13] In the 1970s Remek married his first wife, Czech actress Hana Davidová, the daughter of politicianVáclav David. They had a daughter together, Anna, in 1980.[2] He had a second daughter, Jana, three years after the first,[14] with his second wife, also called Jana.[3][15]
From 1972 to 1976, Remek studied at theGagarin Air Force Academy. Upon his return toCzechoslovakia in 1976, he was promoted to captain and appointed deputy commander of his fighter regiment, after which Remek went back to Russia to train for the Soviet-led space program. Following his return from space in March 1978, Remek spent time in theCzechoslovak People's Army (ČSLA) staff as the deputy director of the Flight Research Institute in Prague.[16] In 1986, Remek became the deputy commander of a flight division based in Čáslav. In 1988, he graduated fromVoroshilov-Staff Academy of Soviet Air Force and was appointed to his highest command, as deputy of the 2nd Air Defense Division stationed inMoravia.[6][11] Following theVelvet Revolution in 1989, Remek was relegated to a role as Director of theMuseum for Aviation and Astronautics in Prague.[6] Following his retirement from theCzech Air Force in 1995, Remek represented Czech firm CZ Strakonice and joint venture CZ–Turbo-GAZ in Moscow.[3][6][17]
Remek (then a Captain) joined theInterkosmos program in 1976; his backup wasOldřich Pelčák, the other Czechoslovak cosmonaut selected to participate with the program. During the flight, Remek experimented with theKristall furnace on board the capsule.[18] The mission, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the Soviet-backed1948 Czechoslovak coup d'état, and including Remek, the son of a Czech mother and Slovak father, had propaganda value in stressing Czechoslovak-Soviet cooperation.[19] Remek himself has not denied this although he retains pride in his voyage regardless of the circumstances. On theSoyuz 28 mission that launched 2 March 1978, he became the first cosmonaut from a country other than theSoviet Union or theUnited States, and with the entry of theCzech Republic into theEuropean Union, Remek is considered to be the first astronaut from the European Union.[20][21] After Remek's flight, he was celebrated in his home country with a series of receptions at factories and other civil workplaces. He was also recognized at a ceremony atPrague Castle as a guest ofGustáv Husák, then theGeneral Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.[22] On 16 March, Remek andAleksei Gubarev, the other member of the crew, were awarded the medalHero of the Soviet Union.[23] Czechoslovak reaction to Remek's flight included comments about the media's inundation focused on Remek and the fact that he was only able to journey with a Soviet cosmonaut as if Remek needed aminder. One joke went: "Why didn't the Soviets send up two Czechoslovak cosmonauts? Because they would've landed in West Germany." Remek himself joked that his Soviet counterpart would slap Remek's hands off of controls if he touched anything without permission.[24] French astronautJean-Loup Chrétien experienced this same behavior onboardSoyuz TM-7 in 1988.[25][26]
Due in part to his previous business contacts in Russia, Remek was appointed to theCzech Embassy in Moscow as a Trade and Economic Counselor.[3][17] During the2004 European Parliament election, Remek was a candidate for theCommunist Party of Bohemia and Moravia and, being second on the list behindMiloslav Ransdorf, was elected into the European Parliament.[27] During his first term (20 July 2004 to 13 July 2009), Remek was a member of the Confederal Group of theEuropean United Left–Nordic Green Left in the European Parliament.[28] He was a vocal proponent of the EU'sGalileo satellite constellation, warning that bureaucratic delay could cede opportunity to theBeiDou, a Chinese competitor.[29] He was reelected in2009. WhenPetr Kolář resigned as theCzech Ambassador to Russia in December 2012, the ambassadorship sat empty for a year until thePresident of the Czech Republic,Miloš Zeman, appointed Remek in January 2014.[30] The appointment met with controversy as it was against the wishes of Zeman's Foreign Minister,Karel Schwarzenberg.[31] Observers have noted Remek has a friendly history with the Russians and although his communist affiliations are a minority in Russia, his appointment represents Zeman's pragmatic and pro-Russia stance.[32][33]
Czech astronomerAntonín Mrkos discovered anasteroid in September 1978 and named it2552 Remek after the cosmonaut.[34] Remek is featured in a 2009 independent comedy film calledOsadne about three residents fromOsadné that seek out Remek at his office inBrussels to help tourism in their town.[35] SculptorJan Bartoš created a statue of Remek and Gubarev, which is located atHáje metro station, formerly known as Kosmonautů (meaning [station] of the cosmonauts) until 1990, in Prague.[36] Another statue of Remek is located in Košice, Slovakia.[37]
Media related toVladimír Remek at Wikimedia Commons
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