(ANSA) - ROME, APRIL 29 - During their walk in space, the 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.
Loriporta the Tass.
The Victory Banner was the flag raised by Soviet Red Army soldiers on the Berlin Reichstaga building 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 Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany During the Second World War.
The original banner is on display in the Central Armed Forces Museum in Moscow.
Roscosmos spokesman 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 space walks 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 project of the International Space Station at the moment, it will then decide "on the basis of the situation" and in any case will give the partner countries a year of notice.
This was stated by the head of the Russian space companyRoscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, in an interview with Tass.
"We shouldn't rush to declare our position and 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."
(HANDLE).
