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The
"Spirit" of the Station
When the MPLM contract was awarded by ASA, Brondolo created a
special wine and label celebrating the unity of the countries.
Three angels, dressed in the flags of America, Russia and Italy,
signify the great contribution of these countries.
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Grazie!
In recognition of Italy's commitment to the station, the first
European astronaut to stay onboard will be an Italian, Umberto
Guidoni, in April 2001
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| Dino
Brondolo |
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In
Partnership and Friendship
 Brondolo has made many friends at partnering space
agencies over the years. And being his friend means enjoying the
good life, too. "I will share the bottle of wine because these
people are friends from different periods of the program...and
we have had a really excellent relationship over several years." He
likes to make special wines and labels to celebrate key moments
in his career. The most important one--the launch of Leonardo--is
coming up. Created from his vineyard's October 2000 grape harvest,
"Barbera," a red wine typical of the region, is "dedicated to
a special event for my career and for the entire company," said
Brondolo.
The Big Moment
When Leonardo arrives at space station, Brondolo
will be at Mission Control in Johnson Space Center to follow the
initial activation. "Certainly I remember all the difficulties
we had but also the pleasant times spent with my team in making
progress, making a good design and making a good product...up
to the final delivery, the final lift-off and successful docking
to the space station," he said. He'll breathe a little easier
once the station crew actually enters the module.
Dreams
of Space (and Retirement)
 Working in the space industry has been a dream
come true for Brondolo, but he is also looking forward to retirement...to
the family farm. He wouldn't mind, before that, to follow in the
footsteps of his personal space station hero:
American astronaut Bill Shepherd. "To go to space is a dream for
many people and also for me, especially after having worked in
this environment for many years." He remains optimistic. And if
he does get to go, you can be sure he'll create an extremely special
wine for that moment.
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Ninjas
in Space?
While the names of the three MPLMs might sound
familiar, they're really named after famous Italians: artists
Leonardo da Vinci and
Raffaello Sanzio, and sculptor Donato (Donatello)
di Niccolo DI Betto Bardi.
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