Maxim and Veneta Behar Returned from U.S. Space Training with Distinction

Maxim Behar and his wife Veneta were officially welcomed today following their return from the United States at the office of the Atlantic Club in Bulgaria, located in Sofia Tech Park.

The Behar family successfully completed the full astronaut training program at the NASA U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and have been back in Bulgaria for two days. They are the first Bulgarians to graduate with distinction from this program at the Center, which prepares astronauts and participants for American space missions and is considered one of the most prestigious training facilities in the world.

Their participation was part of the “HELLO, SPACE!” project of the Atlantic Club in Bulgaria — a unique program held once a year and open to only 16 participants worldwide.

“I am happy that our ‘Hello Space’ program was able, for the first time, to partner with NASA’s Center in Huntsville, and our assessment is that the Behar family performed excellently. We warmly welcome them back and look forward to them sharing their experience in detail during our space festival at the end of June in Sofia,” said the Club’s President, Solomon Passy, during the official reception.

Maxim and Veneta shared that the program included intensive space flight simulations, training for operating in zero gravity, and specialized EVA (extravehicular activity) exercises — commonly known as spacewalk training. Participants went through scenarios closely replicating real space mission conditions under the guidance of instructors with experience in the U.S. space program.