Sweden rejoices at its first citizen in space

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Sweden celebrated its first citizen in space Sunday, after the space shuttle Discovery carrying Christer Fuglesang and six other astronauts made a successful launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. "Finally! Sweden is in space," read a large headline in national tabloid Expressen, summing up the feelings of a nation gripped by a cosmic fever not seen since American astronaut Neil Armstrong walked on the moon in 1969. Fuglesang's adventure has received play-by-play media coverage for weeks, and the shuttle launch was broadcast live on two TV networks even though it took place at 2:47 a.m. Swedish time (0147 GMT). Fuglesang, 49, has received training from both NASA and the European Space Agency, but has waited for more than a decade for his first space flight, and the mission to the International Space Station has been followed closely by politicians and royalty alike.