(CNN) The three Russian astronauts who boarded the International Space Station last month in spacesuits that echoed the colors of Ukraine's flag were paying tribute to their university and not protesting Russia's invasion, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei said Tuesday. The yellow and blue spacesuits surprised many observers , who assumed the Russians were showing support for Ukraine. However, the three cosmonauts are all graduates of Bauman Moscow State Technical University, which has yellow and blue in its emblem. Vande Hei said cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov were caught off guard by the controversy over their spacesuits. Vande Hei said he didn't shy away from discussing the war with his ISS crewmates.

Source: CNN April 06, 2022 03:38 UTC