Russia sends directors and actors to space. The Russian space agency Roscosmos announced today that the State Commission has completed the selection of candidates for participation in space flight for the filming of the film ‘Challenge’, which could therefore become the first film actually shot in Space. Director Klim Shipenko and actress Yulia Peresild have been chosen for the first crew, while cinematographer Alexey Dudin and actress Yulia Peresild will form the backup crew. Filming will take place at the International Space Station. The expedition is scheduled to launch on 5 October 2021 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on the Soyuz MS-19 probe. The idea of shooting a film in Space had already come to Tom Cruise in a project that also involves Elon Musk and NASA. The launch also in this case was scheduled for October this year, but after the announcement last September there have been no more confirmations on the departure date. The Russian space agency has announced that all selected candidates will begin special training for space flight participants by 1 June. Among other things, they will have to undergo centrifuge tests and vibration tests, have to perform introductory and training flights on a zero-gravity aircraft, and undergo training with a parachute. All of this will be covered by Channel One, which participates in the project. “The feature film ‘Challenge’ is part of a large-scale scientific and educational project, which also includes a series of documentaries to be shot about the companies and specialists of the space and missile industry involved in the production of launch vehicles, spacecraft and land vehicles. , space infrastructure. The project will become a clear example of the fact that space flights are gradually becoming available not only to professionals, but also to an ever wider range of interested parties. In addition to educational tasks, numerous new technical and technological problems will be solved “, reads the statement from the Russian space agency.