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SCU BYKOVSKY LETS PENCIL GO FROM MOUTH, IT FLOATS UP IN CAPSULE, THEN HE RETRIEVES IT.
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Initials IT/EURO-B/MGT/EEH



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: RUSSIA'S LATEST SPACEMAN, LIEUTENANT-COLONEL VALERY BYKOVSKY, EARLY TODAY (TUESDAY) SCORED A NEW SPACE RECORD FOR THE SOVIET UNION.NOW WELL INTO HIS FIFTH DAY IN SPACE, HE HAS EXCEEDED THE PREVIOUS LONGEST FLIGHT OF THREE DAYS, 22 HOURS AND 22 MINUTES ACHIEVED LAST AUGUST BY ANOTHER RUSSIAN, ANDRIEN NIKOLAYEV.

LATEST REPORTS SAY THAT BOTH BYKOVSKY AND SPACEWOMAN VALENTINA TERESHKOVA ARE STILL CIRCLING THE EARTH, WITH STILL NO INDICATION OF WHEN THEY WILL BE BROUGHT DOWN.

LIEUTENANT-COLONEL BYKOVSKY APPEARED AGAIN TODAY ON MOSCOW TELEVISION, IN A DIRECT RELAY FROM SPACE.VIEWERS SAW HIM PUT A PENCIL CASUALLY IN HIS MOUTH, THEN SPEAK TO A GROUND STATION.THE PENCIL FLOATED AWAY IN THE WEIGHTLESSNESS OF HIS SPACESHIP AND BYKOVSKY, STILL TALKING, RETRIEVED IT JUST AS CASUALLY.

HIS BEARD HAS GROWN CONSIDERABLY.AS ONE VIEWER SAID: "WE SENT UP BYKOVSKY, BUT FIDEL CASTRO WILL COME DOWN.