Alexei Krasnov, in charge of the agency's Manned Missions Department, told a press conference in Star Town, outside Moscow, Friday that younger personnel would constitute the bulk of that corps.
Russia now has three astronaut units. One unit, formed from military pilots, is based at the Gagarin Astronaut Training Center, in Star Town.
Another one groups civil astronauts, and is based in the Moscow suburb of Korolev. It was set up by Energia Inc., a major Russian aerospace company. And the third unit consists of astronauts with medical background, such as physician Valery Poliakov, who has set a world record in overall mission duration. This group was established by Moscow's Institute of Medico-Biological Problems.
The joint astronaut corps will in all probability be formed on the basis of the Gagarin Training Center, in Star Town.
