ROME çç Pope Francis is speaking to the International Space Station this very moment, 3pm Central European Time. The Pope is making contact with the crew in honour of Italian astronaught, Paolo Nespoli, who is onboard to participate in the “Vita” mission.

Paolo Nespoli, a native Milanese, was born the year the sputnik became the first man made satellite. The Italian Space Agency’s Vita mission’s, (an acronynm meaning: Vitality, Innovation, Technology, and Ability), goal is to improve life on Earth as well as further the possibility of human exploration in the cosmos through experiments in biology, human physiology as well as space environment monitoring.

Roberto Battiston, president of the Italian Space agency, and Josef Aschbacher, director of the European Space Agency in Italy, will join Pope Francis in the call.

kvh