Sochi Olympic Torch Blasts Off Into Space

Russian crew member Mikhail Tyurin carries the torch through the hatch as it arrives at the International Space Station.

新闻背景：

当地时间2013年11月7日，哈萨克斯坦，联盟号太空船成功升空。日本宇航员若田光一，俄罗斯宇航员米哈伊尔·秋林和美国宇航员里克·马斯特拉吉奥将进行联盟号太空船升空任务，将冬季奥运圣火首次带上国际空间站。“联盟”号飞船抵达国际空间站后，两名俄罗斯宇航员将出舱展示火炬。 这是奥运圣火首次进入太空，意在彰显“世界和平”与“不同民族的团结”，

俄罗斯将成为第一个将奥运火炬送入太空的国家。对此，俄联邦航天署署长表示，这将是奥林匹克运动史上“独一无二”的事件，将在世界航天史上留下浓墨重彩的一笔。据悉，索契冬奥会组委会计划利用这一即将实现“太空之旅”的火炬点燃“奥运圣火碗”。

华盛顿：在索契冬季奥运会即将举行前夕，俄罗斯加大了对通迅的监控力度。

Intermediate.

A flame propels the Olympic torch into space.

We have lift off, lift off for the Soyuz rocket and the TMA-11M spacecraft on a truly Olympic leap delivering three more crewmembers to the International Space Station.

It’s the third time an Olympic torch has been jetted into space. It was first done ahead of the Atlantic Games in 1996, and again prior to the 2000 Sydney Olympics. But this time it will go on its first ever spacewalk.

That will happen Saturday and Russian cosmonauts even hope to get an image of them holding the torch with the Olympic city of Sochi directly below them.

Three astronauts from Russia, America and Japan successfully docked their Soyuz capsule onto the International Space Station.

And contact and capture confirmed, docking confirmed for 4:27am central time.

And when the hatch opened, there was an extraordinary moment in history of an Olympic torch relay.

… International Space Station, and also in the view with them, the Olympic torch that was brought up with the Soyuz crew.

A weightless handover between astronauts. For safety reasons, the torch can’t be lit. It’s now in the care of 9 astronauts who got to speak to their family members back on earth.

It’s good to see you, you look good, that was a pretty sweet way to get out of the parking lot.

Ok, well, it’s great to hear from you. I’ll see you soon, well, maybe not too soon. (We have talked to Stephaney.) No. Ok, thanks. Tell the kids I said hi.

Three of the con space station residents will finish a 5.5 month mission in orbit, bringing the torch back down to earth on Monday. All this, a demonstration of Russia’s intent to put on a spectacular winter games in Sochi the next February.

The torch’s already paid a visit to the North Pole, and is set to scale Europe’s highest mountain and be plunged into the world’s deepest lake, it is the bear grails of Olympic torch, symbolic of Russia’s machismo in the mold of its president Vladimir Putin. But the 15 billion dollar game is controversial with accusations of corruption and overspending. And there have been rapidly quelled protests, in the wake of Russia’s legislation restricting homosexuals watch the show. But all this is back on earth, right now attention is in space, following the most spectacular land in the torch’s 40,000 mile relay on route to Sochi.

Jason Fowl, Sky News.