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First European Commander of the ISS
RobGoldsmith writes 'ESA astronaut Frank De Winne became the first European commander of the International Space Station this morning with the departure of Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka who had filled this role since April. De Winne is the first non-American and non-Russian to take on this role. Watch the videos and view images here.'
I didn't check my tags above. Oh well. It's past my bed time....
It's NOT me! It's the meds! I'm on 1000mg of Fukitol.
The ESA is not a part of the European Union and includes member nations outside of the EU and even Europe! Norway and Switzerland are members of ESA but not the EU. And Canada is a member but is not a European country!
The European Space Agency (ESA), established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states.
Yes, on the continent of South America but *in* the EU. French Guiana is part of France and therefore part of the EU.
There are 23 official languages in the EU. And many more in Europe. They'll be offended if you exclude them ;-)
NB: The message above might reflect my opinion right now, but not necessarily tomorrow or next year.
Yes, when you see a little "d" it is usually used for noble title. It has been influenced by the French "etiquette".
For the non-beneluxians. :-)
"De" in Dutch means literally "the". for example: Jan De Boer (John the Farmer), Jacques De Ridder (Jacques the rider/the knight), etc. When you see names like Van Den Berg (it means from the hills), Jean-Claude Van Damme (Jean-Claude from Damme -> a Belgian town).
There is no form of nobility in those names so you use capital letters.
On the other hand: The King is in French "Albert de Belgique" or in Dutch "Albert van België").