This programme provides an introduction to the Marco Polo mission which will see ESA astronaut Roberto Vittori travel to the International Space Station. It outlines the function of the mission and highlights the important experiments that Roberto Vittori will be carrying out whilst on board the ISS. The launch is scheduled for 06:26 on Thursday 25 April, please visit the ESA TV website for the ESA TV Services coverage of the mission.
The 5-minute A-roll contains split audio with an English guide track and is complemented by a B-roll with international sound only,

A Roll script
The first ever Italian cosmonaut is about to travel to the International Space Station onboard a Russian Soyuz vehicle.
Roberto Vittori, a member of ESA's European Astronaut Corps, is a lieutenant colonel with the Italian Air Force. Having clocked nearly 2000 flight hours on Earth, this will be Roberto's first flight into space.
SOT Roberto Vittori:
'This is my first flight and I am very excited about this first flight opportunity, but I am even more excited because I will be the first Italian to fly, the first Italian to train here in Russia, the first to learn the Russian language, and it's going to be a unique opportunity.'
Roberto has been in training since August at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Centre in Star City, near Moscow. Along with two other crew members - a Russian and a South African - he will be spending 8 days onboard the International Space Station.
During the flight - codenamed the ""Marco Polo' mission - Roberto will act as flight engineer. Once onboard the Space Stati