On Victory Day, Russian astronauts Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov, as well as NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, who are currently onboard the International Space Station, congratulated all people on the planet, according to TASS.
“We will never forget the valiant efforts of troops and civilians on the home front. We will pay tribute to the millions of victims who died as a result of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers’ efforts to stop the powers of destruction, restore peace, and protect people’s rights to life and liberty. We will cherish the memory of this for the rest of our lives,” Novitsky said in a video on the Roscosmos website, Russia’s state space agency.
The US astronaut joined the congratulatory message, promising humanity a peaceful sky, good health, happiness, and good fortune.
In turn, Dubrov said that the conclusion of the Great Patriotic War in 1941-1945 is regarded as one of the most significant events of the twentieth century since it determined the eventual sustainable growth of human society. Vande Hei noted that the ISS crew members were now united by a single goal: the need to make discoveries and do science for the sake of humanity.
“The International Space Station is a brilliant historical symbol of international collaboration, and we are proud to be citizens of this multinational science lab,” he said.
At the moment, the crew is made up of members who are working aboard the ISS: astronauts Oleg Novitsky and Pyotr Dubrov from Roscosmos, astronauts Mark Vande Hei, Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur from NASA, as well as astronaut Thomas Pesquet from the European Space Agency and Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide.
