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In the town of Baikonur, Kazakhstan, the Expedition 31/32 backup crew participated in Victory Day celebration activities May 9, 2012 as they took a break from training for the launch of the Soyuz TMA-04M May 15 to the International Space Station. Victory Day commemorates the triumph of Russia over Nazi Germany in World War II, one of Russia’s most solemn occasions. From left to right holding flowers are backup NASA Flight Engineer Kevin Ford, backup Soyuz Commander Oleg Novitskiy and backup Flight Engineer Evgeny Tarelkin. The prime crew, Gennady Padalka, Sergei Revin and NASA’s Joe Acaba, are training for their launch in the Soyuz vehicle on May 15 for a four-month mission on the orbital complex. NASA/Victor Zelentsov jsc2012e051223

In the town of Baikonur, Kazakhstan, the Expedition 31/32 backup crew participated in Victory Day celebration activities May 9, 2012 as they took a break from training for the launch of the Soyuz TMA-04M May 15 More

Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan -- Cosmonaut Yuri I. Malenchenko (foreground), Expedition Seven commander, and astronaut Edward T. Lu, NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer for Expedition Seven, walk down the Soyuz stand after the Soyuz inspection, seat liner checkMalenchenko and Lu were named as the primary crew, Expedition 7, for the launch to the International Space Station. Russian cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri and NASA astronaut Michael Foale are the backup crewmembers to Malenchenko and Lu. Expedition 6 Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA Space Station Science Officer Don Pettit will return to Earth aboard the Soyuz TMA-1 craft in May 2003. The three Expedition 6 crewmembers were launched on Nov. 23, 2002. They have been aboard the Station since November 25. They were originally scheduled to return in March aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis during the STS-114 mission. Malenchenko and Lu will continue to operate the science payloads already on board, as well as maintaining the Station. Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls KSC-03pd1269

Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan -- Cosmonaut Yuri I. Malenchenko (foreground), Expedition Seven commander, and astronaut Edward T. Lu, NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer for Expedition Seven, walk do More

(9 March 2014) --- The statue of Yuri Gagarin, the first human to fly in space, looms over the town square in Karaganda, Kazakhstan March 9 as officials prepared to commemorate him on his 80th birthday. Gagarin, who died in an aircraft training accident in 1968, was launched into the history books from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on April 12, 1961. NASA astronauts and officials were in Karaganda for the commemoration in advance of supporting the landing March 11, Kazakh time, of Expedition 38 crew members Oleg Kotov, Sergey Ryazanskiy and NASA’s Michael Hopkins in their Soyuz TMA-10M spacecraft. Photo credit: NASA jsc2014e025526

(9 March 2014) --- The statue of Yuri Gagarin, the first human to fly in space, looms over the town square in Karaganda, Kazakhstan March 9 as officials prepared to commemorate him on his 80th birthday. Gagarin More

Expedition 36 Soyuz TMA-08M Landing

Expedition 36 Flight Engineer Chris Cassidy of NASA waves during a ceremony at the Karaganda airport in Kazakhstan after having been flown from the Soyuz TMA-08M spacecraft landing site in a remote area near th More

#3234a - (30 October 2014) --- At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 42/43 backup Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren of NASA answers questions from reporters in front of a Soyuz simulator October 30 as part of his final qualification exams for flight. He along with Oleg Kononenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and Kimiya Yui of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (not pictured) are the backups to the prime crew --- Terry Virts of NASA, Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos and Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency --- who are in the final stages of training for launch November 24, Kazakh time, in the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft to begin a five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA/Stephanie Stoll jsc2014e089253

#3234a - (30 October 2014) --- At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 42/43 backup Flight Engineer Kjell Lindgren of NASA answers questions from reporters in front of a Soyuz More

1610: At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 40/41 Flight Engineer Reid Wiseman of NASA waves to a crowd of well-wishers May 15 as he departs with his crewmates for their launch site at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for final pre-launch training. Wiseman, Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency and Soyuz Commander Max Suraev of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) will launch on May 29, Kazakh time, in the Soyuz TMA-13M spacecraft from Baikonur for a 5 ½ month mission on the International Space Station. NASA/Stephanie Stoll jsc2014e045106

1610: At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 40/41 Flight Engineer Reid Wiseman of NASA waves to a crowd of well-wishers May 15 as he departs with his crewmates for their lau More

1929: At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 41/42 prime crewmembers Barry Wilmore of NASA (left), Elena Serova of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos, center) and Alexander Samokutyaev of Roscosmos (right) pose for pictures and answer reporters’ questions September 3 at the start of final qualification exams. They will launch September 26 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Kazakh time, in the Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft for a 5 ½ month mission on the International Space Station. Serova will become only the fourth Russian woman to fly in space and the first Russian woman to conduct a long duration mission on the station. NASA/Stephanie Stoll jsc2014e079011

1929: At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 41/42 prime crewmembers Barry Wilmore of NASA (left), Elena Serova of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos, center) and Al More

1944: At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 41/42 prime crewmembers Barry Wilmore of NASA (left), Elena Serova of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos, center) and Alexander Samokutyaev of Roscosmos (right) pose for pictures and wave to reporters and well-wishers September 3 at the start of final qualification exams. They will launch September 26 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Kazakh time, in the Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft for a 5 ½ month mission on the International Space Station. Serova will become only the fourth Russian woman to fly in space and the first Russian woman to conduct a long duration mission on the station. NASA/Stephanie Stoll jsc2014e079012

1944: At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 41/42 prime crewmembers Barry Wilmore of NASA (left), Elena Serova of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos, center) and Al More

1910: At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 41/42 prime crewmembers Alexander Samokutyaev of the Russian Federal Space Agency (left), Elena Serova of Roscosmos (center) and NASA’s Barry Wilmore (right) listen to instructions from officials September 3 at the start of final qualification exams. They will launch September 26 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Kazakh time, in the Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft for a 5 ½ month mission on the International Space Station. Serova will become only the fourth Russian woman to fly in space and the first Russian woman to conduct a long duration mission on the station. NASA/Stephanie Stoll jsc2014e079010

1910: At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 41/42 prime crewmembers Alexander Samokutyaev of the Russian Federal Space Agency (left), Elena Serova of Roscosmos (center) and More