Prof . D.ssa Federiga BINDI, general manager of the IIC (Instituto Italiano di Cultura) organised an exclusive event this tuesday night to celebrate the first italian astronaut in the space.

Luca Parmitano was this tuesday the first italian in the history to take part to an inhabited flight into the space. Around 21.30 GMT, the Soyouz 36 rocket started from Baikonour (Kazakhstan) with 2 other astronauts, an american woman and a russian guy. They will stay at the international space station.

On the same time in Brussels, the audience of the IIC could attend a wonderful conference of Giulio Barbolani (ESA) and Prof. D.ssa Simonetta Di Pippo, great italian scientist and special adviser to the ESA president.

The audience was delighted to follow on great screen this thrilling launch of Soyouz 36 with the first italian cosmonaut. Lots of questions were asked by the participants.

Different questions were asked by the audience regarding to the future of the italian space policy, the italian contribution to ESA, the preparation of cosmonauts in the stars city in Russia, the future of the US space policy, the daily life in the international space station.

The presence of high level scientists was by all much appreciated.

Miguel D. DESNERCK