Soyuz TM-29

The Soyuz TM-29 mission was a Russian spaceflight that carried the first Slovak citizen, Ivan Bella, into space. The mission launched on February 20, 1999, and docked with the Mir space station on February 22. Bella was accompanied by Russian cosmonaut Viktor Afanasyev and French astronaut Jean-Pierre Haigneré. The mission, named "Mir Štefánik," lasted eight days, with Bella returning to Earth on February 28. During his time on Mir, Bella conducted experiments on radiation, metabolism, hormones, and the survival of Japanese quails in space. The Soyuz spacecraft, a Russian term for "union," has been in use since 1967 and primarily serves as a crew ferry to space stations.12