Captain Cristoforetti in Cremona with WeFly! Team!

Captain Samantha Cristoforetti was in Cremona to receive the flag created by the WeFly Team aerobatic patrol! The ceremony took place at 11:00 AM at the Cremona – Migliano Aero Club, during a public event open to everyone. Visitors had the opportunity to meet both the astronaut and the pilots, and to watch the aerobatic patrol's performance. WeFly! Team is the Italian aerobatic patrol, unique in the world, composed of paraplegic pilots who fly specially modified ultralight aircraft. With the flag as a symbol, Captain Cristoforetti will carry a message into space dedicated to disabled people worldwide, underscoring that there are no limits to achieving one's desires. The WeFly! Team patrol will fly throughout the year, both in Italy and abroad, with uniforms and aircraft bearing the logo dedicated to this initiative, whose slogan is ‘WeFly with Futura – dare to fly’. The WeFly! Team patrol, which was previously a guest at the ESA pavilion at ILA Berlin Air Show 2014, is composed of Alessandro Paleri and Marco Cherubini, who use modified aircraft, and instructor Erich Kustatscher. The patrol was founded in 2005. Captain Cristoforetti, selected in 2009, will be the fifth Italian aboard the ISS, following Umberto Guidoni, Roberto Vittori, Paolo Nespoli, and Luca Parmitano. Assigned to the long-duration mission named Futura, the second by the Italian Space Agency after Parmitano's last year, Cristoforetti will spend approximately six months aboard the International Space Station. Departure is scheduled for November from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, along with her Expedition 42/43 crewmates. Watch the report on MTV News from June 17, 2014, at 6:00 AM. Read the news on the ESA website