Dutch citizen will fly on board "Soyuz" space ship next year

Dutch physician Andre Keipers will take a trip on board Russian ship "Soyuz" to the international space station at the end of next year. According to the Dutch press, he will represent the European Space Agency (ESA). Keipers has undertaken a series of training courses in Germany, the USA and Russia.

He will be the second Dutch astronaut in the history of space exploration. The first visited space in 1985 on board an American shuttle. According to unofficial data, the Netherlands will pay Russia 8 million Euro for the flight.