As part of his trip to open the “#SPUTNIK60” exhibition at the Russian Cultural Centre
Russian pilot-cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin will be visiting the University of Nicosia (UNIC) on 28 November, at 13:00, to share his professional experiences and insights from his various missions. He will talk about his latest (sixth) expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), as well as his passion for space photography. There will be a Q&A session, during which attendees will have the opportunity to interact with Mr Yurchikhin.
Yurchikhin is among 423 cosmonauts in the world, and one of 98 in Russia, where he has been declared a national hero. He has participated in 6 expeditions to date, amassing over 672 days in space. His visit to Cyprus follows his latest space expedition, between 20 April and 3 September 2017, when he flew to the ISS on the spaceship “Soyuz MS-04”, together with the American astronaut, Jack Fisher. Prior to that, between 1 and 17 November 2016, Mr Yurchikhin, together with Jack Fisher and Paolo Nespoli, underwent prelaunch training at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, as part of the backup crew of the “TPK Soyuz MS-03”.
Within the framework of Mr Yurchikhin’s visit, the Russian Cultural Centre will present the “#SPUTNIK60” exhibition, dedicated to the 60th anniversary of the first launch of an artificial Earth satellite. The official opening of the exhibition will take place on 28 November at 19.00.
The Russian cosmonaut’s visit to Cyprus is being organised by the Russian Cultural Centre in Nicosia and the University of Nicosia, with the support of ROSCOSMOS, as well as the Troodos Observatory at Agridia, which will open its doors to the public in 2021.
*Fyodor Yurchikhin was born on 3 January 1959 to a family of Pontic Greeks, in the city of Batumi, Republic of Adjaria ASSR. During his first flight, the cosmonaut took with him the flags of Russia and Greece, as well as the pennants of his institute and the organisation he was working with. It was then that Greek was first heard in space when Fyodor responded from outer space to a question from his mother. She asked: “Theodore, is this you?”; to which he replied: “Ναι, μάνα, εγώ είμαι, ο Θόδωρος!” (“Yes, mama, it’s me, Theodoros”).
