(23 Sep 2004) SHOTLIST
1. Gagarin Astronaut Training Centre
2. Press conference
3. Screen showing two teams of astronauts
4. Press Conference
5. Salizhan Sharipov, Russian astronaut and Leroy Chiao, American astronaut
6. Cutaway press
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Leroy Chiao, American Astronaut:
"I think it is a service to the memory of the crew of the Columbia that we continue our work in space. I think exploration is something that is really innate to the human organism and something that kind of separates us from the other forms of life on earth.''
8. Russian and American flags
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Leroy Chiao, American Astronaut:
"The things that will be going on at the station on our mission is demonstrating how we can maintain a space vehicle. If we start sending vehicles to the moon and to Mars we are no longer riding lower orbit wards where it is relatively close to home and you can just jump in a lifeboat and come home if something wrong happens. We have got to design a mobile vehicle, a maintainable vehicle and learn our lessons on the Space Station.''
10. Cutaway press
11. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Salizhan Sharipov, Russian Astronaut:
"We have an experiment with plants where we are looking at how space flight affects their growth development. We will be working with these experiments, continuing the work which Gennady Padalka has already started.''
12. Space Centre sign
13. Astronauts and officials leaving
STORYLINE
Russian flight engineer Salizhan Sharipov told reporters on Thursday that the first shuttle since the Columbia disaster would blast off on March 6th.
The shuttle will also be the first craft to bring a crew of seven astronauts to the International Space Centre.
The information emerged during a press conference for the tenth Mission to the International Space Centre on Thursday in Star City, near Moscow.
Shuttle flights were suspended immediately after the disaster in February 2003, and since then there has been much apprehension over future flights.
Russian Astronauts Salizhan Sharipov and Yuri Shargin and American Astronaut Leroy Chiao, who received special training to help the shuttle dock, are due to fly out to the ISS on October 11th.
During the mission the astronauts are due to carry out routine maintenance of the ISS well as carrying out medical experiments.
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