International space crews undergo training and tests in Star City

(5 May 2009) SHOTLIST 1. Wide exterior of Star City training centre 2. Wide of cosmonauts arriving 3. Cutaway of media 4. Mid of officials 5. Various of cosmonauts signing for and receiving their test papers 6. Wide on onlookers on balcony 7. Cosmonauts walking towards training module 8. Cutaway of media 9. Wide of Cosmonauts posing for photo on stairs 10. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Roman Romanenko, Space crew commander: "We will have standard experiments that have been held for some time, and there will also be some other additional experiments of our various partners." 11. Cutaway of media 12. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Frank De Winne, Cosmonaut: "It is a very specific flight because for the first time there will be six people on board simultaneously, and of course, it is a great stride forward." 13. Mid of cosmonauts standing for photo and then going into module 14. Close of training module 15. Wide pan of interior of training centre, media STORYLINE Cosmonauts were undergoing tests at a training centre in Star City outside Moscow on Tuesday to prepare them for their space flight to the International Space Station (ISS). Russian commander Roman Romanenko, his Belgian colleague from the European Space agency Frank De Winne, and Robert Thirk, a cosmonaut from the Canadian Space Agency, are expected to join the ISS at the end of May. The tests include spending the whole day inside a model of the International Space Station and solving various problems that might emerge during a space flight. The aim of the tests is to prepare the space crew to deal with emergencies and unexpected situations. De Winne is the first European cosmonaut to head the space crew during the stay on board the International Space Station. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, De Winne said that the space flight "will be a very specific flight because for the first time there will be six people on the board simultaneously, and, of course, it is a great stride forward." In January, Russia announced that the ISS permanent crew was set to increase from three to six members as other partners in the project - Japan, the European Space Agency and Canada - planned to send up their astronauts later this year. The crew will lift off from Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan on May 27. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/0669686600746bf209b7f92ebb92acfb