Neurologist Ognian Kolev is Deputy Director of Research at the St. Naum University Hospital of Neurology and Psychiatry in Sofia. He is among the few foreigners who have worked in the headquarters of the U.S. government agency NASA in Houston. He is the first representative of another country to receive a certificate of NASA for excellence in the field of space exploration and support of space flights. Professor Kolev received the award also for his “22-year fruitful cooperation with NASA," as stated in the document. Originally the Bulgarian scientist was invited by NASA to deliver a lecture on his research work and publications in Bulgaria, Sweden and Germany. A year after his first visit, he moved to Houston with a permanent contract. Professor Kolev then repeatedly participated in NASA studies in different periods. His work focuses on a large range of issues related to neurology and neuroscience. The work of the scientist is mainly devoted to revealing the functions of the vestibular system and its connections to the brain, psychic and other sensory systems, as well as the impact on the entire human organism. Professor Kolev explores also the morbidity of the vestibular system.

"The issues I'm working on there are extremely important not just from my perspective as a scientist,” Professor Kolev says. – “I work to establish the processes of orientation of a person in conditions of weightlessness and the relations of these processes with extreme situations. They affect human responses during take-offs and landings on Earth. Cosmic disease is a major problem for astronauts. They cannot adapt in the absence of gravity. This factor causes serious changes to other functions of the organism, and in particular - the nervous system. This is the reason for the failure of some of the tasks that must be performed during a flight. On the other hand, spatial orientation is of paramount importance for astronauts. They handle equipment; do experiments in space ships, and in outer space. Any mistake can have fatal consequences. Just one example - if manual landing of a rocket or shuttle is necessary, accuracy of performance becomes critical. The speed is huge - several thousand meters per second. Can you imagine the precision required? Even a few fractions of a second can be decisive."

Professor Kolev says that opportunities for technological research at NASA are incredibly good. Work there is a real pleasure for a man devoted to science. He has been invited for a permanent job and it was hard to dismiss such offers but the link with Bulgaria proved stronger. The scientist argues that the experience he gained overseas could help him in his work in Bulgaria.

"The recovery after certain diseases of the nervous system is identical to the procedures used by astronauts for adapting and treatment" - Professor Kolev says. He has also participated in projects of the U.S. military aviation and is a member of the team working to create the Tactile Situation Awareness System (TSAS), providing adequate orientation to pilots and astronauts. This system is in the process of being approved for use by military pilots, as the main cause of accidents caused by human factors in flight turns out to be spatial disorientation. It turns out that illusions created by movement in space, especially when changing the direction of a flight are so strong that pilots even refuse to trust the instruments on the control panels.

English: Alexander Markov