April 22, 2011. (Romereports.com) On May 4 Benedict XVI will be the first pope to make a phone call into space. He will be in satellite contact with the international space station to mark the arrival of the shuttle endeavor.

The pope is expected to speak with the Italian astronauts, Colonel Roberto Vittori, who is carrying a silver medal that was a gift from the pope, as well as Paolo Nespoli, who is an engineer and resident of the space station.

The pope will also salute the rest of the space crew, which is made up of American and Russian astronauts.

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