06.09 New ISS Crew Mascot Will Be Black Toy Cat
STAR CITY, September 6 (RIA Novosti) A toy black cat will be the new good-luck charm for the next crew on board the International Space Station (ISS), a cosmonaut said on Friday.
Theres a tradition amongst Russian cosmonauts to take a small toy with them to hang inside the Soyuz capsule on trips to outer space.
In flight, the toy indicates the start of weightlessness after leaving the Earths atmosphere.
This particular toy cat is already an experienced mascot, having been in orbit twice before, cosmonaut Oleg Kotov told journalists at a press conference.
Our talisman will be a veteran of two space flights, and its going to fly with me a third time, Kotov said. It's [the cats] called Dimler, from the first syllables of the names of my children Dima and Lera, who gave it to me before my first flight.
