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10/31/09

SPACE.com -- Europe's First Space Station Commander Takes Charge

For the complete report from SPACE.com click on this link

Europe's First Space Station Commander Takes Charge

Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne has taken the helm of the International Space Station (ISS) Saturday, becoming the first European ever to command the $100 billion orbiting laboratory. De Winne, 48, of the European Space Agency, officially took charge of the orbiting laboratory's Expedition 21 mission after the last commander, Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, departed on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft headed for Earth. Until now, all station commanders have been either American or Russian. "I've always been proud to be European," De Winne said Tuesday during an in-space press conference. "Europeans, of course, have a big heritage as explorers. It's a big honor for me to be the first European commander of the International Space Station." De Winne launched to the station in May 2009, making his second trip into space. He is due to spend a total of about six months in orbit.

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