During their spacewalk, two Russian cosmonauts Oleg Artemeyev and Denis Matveyev displayed a replica of the Victory Banner on the outside of the Russian Nauka multipurpose laboratory module. Tass reports it.
The Victory Banner was the flag raised by the soldiers of the Soviet Red Army on the Reichstag building in Berlin on May 1, 1945. It was hoisted by Soviet soldiers Alexey Berest, Mikhail Yegorov and Melitin Kantariya and is considered the official symbol of the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany during World War II. The original banner is on display at the Central Armed Forces Museum in Moscow.
Roscosmos spokesperson Dmitry Strugovets said the idea of displaying a copy of the flag in space came from Artemyev, who proposed it to Roscosmos. “His initiative was supported at all levels – he told Tass -. Nobody was indifferent”.
Altogether, seven spacewalks are planned during the current space mission of cosmonauts Artemeyev, Matveyev and Korsakov. In one of these Artemyev will be joined by the Italian Samantha Cristoforetti, in the others by Matveyev.
Russia does not intend to abandon the International Space Station project at the moment, it will then decide “according to the situation” and in any case will give partner countries a year’s notice. This was stated by the head of the Russian space company Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, in an interview with Tass. “We should not rush to declare our position and will continue our work within the deadline set by the government, which is until 2024,” said Rogozin. “A decision on the future of the ISS will largely depend on the evolution of the situation both in and around Russia.”
Source: Ansa
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