Age is not as important as
experience when sending humans into space, astronaut Paolo
Nespoli said Friday.
The European Space Agency (ESA) veteran is in training for
his next mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in
2017, when he will be 60 years old.
"Age is secondary," Nespoli said.
"You have to have the physical prerequisites...but what
matter most are competence and experience," said Nespoli, who
began his pre-flight training four weeks ago.
He is currently in Houston, but the drill will also take
him to Moscow, Japan, and Europe.
"I hope (tourist space flights) will become available
soon," he added.
"In a few years I'd like to be able to buy a ticket and go
into space without having to go through all this training
first".
Nespoli is the third Italian to travel into space after
Umberto Guidoni in April 2000 and Roberto Vittori in 2002.
In 1998 he was one of two Italian astronauts to be chosen
for the very first mission to the ISS.
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