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Dry New Year On Board
International Space Station

Moscow, Dec 31 (DPA) The crew on board the International Space Station (ISS), including Indian American Sunita Williams, is to ring in the New Year without any alcohol.

"Last year the ISS crew had a surprise in the form of cognac beans, but this year there is a total ban on alcohol," food expert Alexander Agureyev of the Russian Academy of Sciences said in Moscow Saturday.

Williams, US astronaut Michael Lopez-Allegria and their Russian colleague Mikhail Tyurin will be able to experience the arrival of Jan 1, 2007, 16 times on board humanity's furthest outpost in space as the station orbits the earth that many times a day.

According to the Russians, the alcohol party-poopers are the Americans from the NASA space authorities.

"This time the new year presents were flown out with the US Space Shuttle Discovery under the control of NASA. The alcohol ban is strictly observed there," the Russian expert said.

Last year, a Russian Progress freighter transported the cognac beans into space, Agureyev said.

The ISS crew have adopted the habit of celebrating the New Year just twice from 400 km above the earth, once each when they pass ground control in Moscow and Houston.

The crew are expected to feast on special rations for the New Year - each of them was allowed to take six containers of their favorite food with them.

Tyurin took beef goulash, bream in tomato and mustard sauce and aubergines, Agureyev said.

There is also nut tart and dried cherries and plums. "You can create a nice festive spread from these foodstuffs," the expert added.  

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