It could include a spacewalk, the next mission of astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA).
The astronaut herself spoke of the hypothesis, answering questions from journalists.
"I trained for a spacewalk, in the Russian suit" and "there may be the possibility of a spacewalk with a Russian colleague," said Cristoforetti.
Whether this will happen or not, she added, "will be decided in the near future, on the basis of the planning" of the activity on the Space Station that she, she noted, takes place in an "extremely dynamic and flexible environment".
"It cannot be the subject of political discussion" because it is "a symbol for humanity": this is how the astronaut commented on the World Day of Human Spaceflight which is celebrated tomorrow. Gagarin's flight, he added, "is a symbol for humanity and this is what we celebrate: on April 12 we celebrate the beginning of the space age for all of us human beings. ”Cristoforetti also has no credit for the 'colorful news' on the future of the Space Station, recently released of a breakdown of the collaborations between the partners.