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ISS holds initiation of cosmonauts, astronauts

Roscosmos cosmonaut and TASS special correspondent Alexey Zubritsky clarified that, in addition to himself, the Russian segment's crew members as well as NASA astronauts had their names officially marked off from their chevrons

ISS, August 6. /TASS/. Members of the Russian and American segments of the International Space Station (ISS) have participated in a symbolic initiation ceremony, marking their transition from the League of Unflown Astronauts (LUFA). According to Roscosmos cosmonaut and TASS special correspondent Alexey Zubritsky aboard the station, this tradition involved crossing out their names from the chevrons of LUFA, a symbolic gesture signifying their official status as spacefarers.

"Today, we can say that we were initiated as cosmonauts and astronauts," Zubritsky stated. "Our American colleagues and we have crossed out our names from the list of unflown astronauts in a friendly atmosphere, continuing the tradition established in 2014 by our American counterparts."

Zubritsky clarified that, in addition to himself, the Russian segment's crew members - SpaceX Crew-10 mission specialists Kirill Peskov and Oleg Platonov of Crew-11, along with NASA astronauts Nicole Ayers, Jonathan Kim, and Zena Cardman - had their names officially marked off from their chevrons. The ceremony took place recently because the chevron bearing Ayers' name, who arrived at the ISS as part of Crew-10 on March 16, was only delivered on August 2 by Crew-11.

Founded in 2014 in Houston, LUFA includes all qualified cosmonauts and astronauts who have yet to fly in space. During their first mission, their surnames are traditionally painted over on a special chevron, marking their official initiation into spaceflight.

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