Italy's Parmitano takes command of ISS

(ANSA) - Rome, October 2 - Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano took command of the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday.
    He is the first Italian and only the third European to hold this position.
    The hand-over ceremony from Russia's Alexei Ovchinin took place on a packed ISS, with nine astronauts on board.
    On Thursday three of them, including Ovchinin, will return to Earth and Expedition 61 will officially begin. It is the latest feather in the cap of Parmitano, who is widely known by his Twitter name, AstroLuca.
    He is already the first Italian to have walked in space.