Pope to talk with ISS crew
April 22nd, 2011 - 8:30 am ICT by IANSRome, April 22 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Pope Benedict XVI will talk with International Space Station (ISS) astronauts during the space shuttle Endeavour’s final mission to the station, the official newspaper of the Vatican reported.
The 84-year-old pontiff’s linkup with the space station May 4 will come at a time when there are two Italian astronauts on board, according to the L’Osservatore Romano.
Paolo Nespoli has been on the ISS since December and when Roberto Vittori arrives on Endeavour it will be only the second time two Italians have been in space together.
Endeavour will blast off for the last time April 29, and the space shuttle fleet will finally retire in July when Atlantis returns from its final mission to the ISS, leaving Russia’s Soyuz as the only way for astronauts to get to the space station.
The retired shuttles, including Discovery, which has already made its last flight, will be moved to museums in the US.
–IANS/RIA Novosti
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- Space shuttle Endeavour returns to Earth after final mission - Jun 01, 2011
- Pope Benedict XVI may make first call to space on May 4 - Apr 24, 2011
- Russia not to exploit space shuttle monopoly - Jul 19, 2011
- NASA sets farewell shuttle launch July 8 - Jun 29, 2011
- Russian spacecraft docks with ISS - Apr 07, 2011
- NASA's space shuttle Endeavour docks with International Space Station - May 19, 2011
- Space shuttle Atlantis makes final landing - Jul 21, 2011
- Russian astronaut asks to take son to ISS - Dec 02, 2010
- Russian spacecraft undocks from ISS - Nov 22, 2011
- Private spacecraft to make second supply run to ISS - Aug 24, 2012
- New space station crew in orbit - May 15, 2012
- Russia's manned spacecraft docks with ISS - Dec 24, 2011
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- Space station crew land safely in Kazakhstan (Lead) - Nov 22, 2011
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