Russian cosmonauts to enjoy sun, sand and sangria

MADRID (Reuters) -- Russian cosmonauts who endure marathon missions in space can now look forward to sun, sand and sangria when they get back to Earth.

Under an agreement signed Thursday, cosmonauts returning from the Spartan conditions of the Mir space station will be able to recover with a three-week all expenses paid trip to Spain's Canary Islands.

Extended exposure to the weightlessness of space requires an adjustment period back on Earth that calls for a combination of rest, exercise and adaptation to terrestrial living.

"Crews will rehabilitate in the sports, health and hotel facilities in the Canaries," Juan Carlos Becerra, tourist secretary for the islands, said by telephone from Moscow, where the deal was signed with the Russian Institute of Biological Medicine.

Local authorities took the initiative last year, inviting cosmonaut Sergei Avdeyev to the popular holiday islands off Africa's northwestern coast after he spent 389 days aboard Mir, Becerra said.

That led to further talks. The first Russian crew is expected in October. Russian authorities will pay the costs and the Canary Islands government will handle the logistics.

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