From her summer residence Kultaranta (Golden Beach) the President discussed the astronaut’s Finnish ancestry during the phone call. Kopra's grandfather originated from Karelia while his grandmother was from Helsinki.
Kopra said his family had maintained contacts with relatives and had visited Finland. He also admitted to be a Finn at heart.
During the 13 minute space call, President Tarja Halonen invited Kopra to visit Finland upon his return to earth. He accepted her invitation. She also expressed her appreciation of the work carried out by the International Space Station.
Earlier this year the President had sent Kopra a Finnish souvenir to take along on his space trip. The keepsake was a special Kalevala coin, minted as part of the “From the Heart” coin collection produced by the Mint of Finland.
Kopra and six other astronauts travelled on board the Endeavour Shuttle to their base on the International Space Station in February. Kopra took over from the Japanese Koichi Wakata, who returned to Earth on the Endeavour after four months in space.
Timothy L. Kopra was born in Texas and is a former U.S. military test pilot. He has worked for NASA for the past 11 years and was chosen for astronaut training in 2000. He has been on the International Space Station since February.
