Russian actress Peresild, film director Shipenko cleared for space flight

MOSCOW. Aug 31 (Interfax) - A medical commission has concluded that Russian actress Yulia Peresild, film director Klim Shipenko and cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov are fit to fly into space, the Cosmonaut Training Center said.

"In accordance with the commission's decision, Roscosmos cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, space flight participants Yulia Peresild and Klim Shipenko (the prime crew of the 66th mission to the International Space Station), as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev and space flight participants Alyona Mordovina and Alexei Dudin (the backup crew) have been found physically fit for space flight," the center said.

Russia's Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft is due to take off in October of this year to transport the production crew of the Vyzov (Challenge) movie, that is, film director Klim Shipenko and actress Yulia Peresild, as well as the crew commander, Roscosmos cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, to the ISS. The crew will produce the first feature film in space.

The film production crew will stay on board the ISS for around ten days. Filming will also take place aboard the new Russian module Nauka.