Dumitru Prunariu, Covered Up for Being Too Cool

Failure To Launch

The first Romanian in space never set out to be a cosmonaut. He just loved to fly. Today, we're talking about Dumitru Prunariu, his unlikely path to space, and how he ran afoul of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu, Romania's dictator duo.

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Sources:

• Interkosmos: The Eastern Bloc's Early Space Program, Bert Vis & Colin Burgess

Music by DJ Danarchy