EÒRPA ON BBC ALBA EXAMINES THE RUSSIAN SPACE INDUSTRY PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

Wednesday 30 March, 8.30pm on BBC ALBA
In the last programme of the present series of Eòrpa, Roddy Munro reports from Russia. Nearly 50 years since Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin's momentous flight becoming the first human in space, Eòrpa examines the Russian space industry past, present and future.

With the USA's shuttle replacement some time away, Russia will soon find itself as the world leader in manned spaceflight. How, 50 years after Gagarin, has Russia regained its place at the top, and can it sustain this lofty position?

Eòrpa hears from industry experts and cosmonauts throughout the programme gaining insightful personal accounts of what it’s like to travel into space.

Cosmonaut, Sergei Viktorovich Zalyotin, said: “You experience a lot of emotions when you watch our earth from the height of 500km. On the one side you see the earth, on the other you see the black velvet of space, and the question arises: Who are you in this life? Why did you come into space? How will our life develop in the future? And from where did we come to this earth?"

Yuri Karash of the Russian Academy of Cosmonautics, said: “Yes, Russia launches more spaceships than other countries, more space rocket carriers, carries out more space launches, but you would not say that Russia is ahead of Italy in the field of motor industry because the Volga Automobile Plant produces more Lada cars than the Italian concern Ferrari produces cars of the same name.”

Produced by BBC Gàidhlig, Eòrpa will broadcast on BBC ALBA on Wednesday 30 March at 8.30pm.