Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov speaks during the State Commission meeting to approve the Soyuz launch of Expedition 19 Commander Gennady I. Padalka, Flight Engineer Michael R. Barratt and Spaceflight Participant Charles Simonyi on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Anatoly Perminov, Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, speaks at the State Commission meeting held at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan on Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2010. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, and NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, welcome Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency Anatoly Perminov, right, for the third Space Cooperation Working Group meeting of the U.S. – Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010 in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov shows a logo that will be used for the Expedition 22 mission during the State Commission meeting to approve the Soyuz launch of Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Jeffrey N. Williams, Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev, and Spaceflight Participant Guy Laliberté on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The logo incorporates designs from a children's competition. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Anatoly Perminov, head of the Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS), second from left, speaks during the State Commission meeting to approve the Soyuz launch of Expedition 23 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov, Flight Engineer Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Flight Engineer Mikhail Kornienko on Thursday, April 1, 2010, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov, talks to the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) from the Mission Control Center Moscow in Korolev, Russia shortly after the successful docking of the Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft with the International Space Station marking the start of Expedition 21 with Flight Engineer Jeffrey N. Williams, Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev, and Spaceflight Participant Guy Laliberté, Friday, Oct. 2, 2009. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Anatoly Perminov, head of the Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS), speaks during the State Commission meeting to approve the Soyuz launch of Expedition 23 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov, Flight Engineer Tracy Caldwell Dyson and Flight Engineer Mikhail Kornienko on Thursday, April 1, 2010, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

NASA Deputy Administrator Frederick D. Gregory, left and Chief of the Russian Federal Space Agency Anatoly Perminov celebrate the successful launch of the Soyuz TMA-5 spacecraft, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2004, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The Soyuz TMA-5 spacecraft blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome carrying Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao, Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Salizhan Sharipov and Russian Space Forces cosmonaut Yuri Shargin to the International Space Station. The crew will dock to the Station on October 16, and Chiao and Sharipov will replace the current Station crewmembers, Gennady Padalka and Mike Fincke, who will return to Earth October 24 with Shargin. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov holds a poster given to him by the crew of Expedition 24 during the State Commission meeting to approve the Soyuz launch of Expedition 24 Flight Engineers Doug Wheelock, Shannon Walker and Soyuz Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin on Monday, June 14, 2010 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, and Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency Anatoly Perminov laugh with each other as they meet outside the Cosmonaut hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Tuesday, Sept., 29, 2009 the day before Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev, Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Jeffrey N. Williams and Spaceflight Participant Guy Laliberté are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station (ISS). Photo Credit: (NASA)

Expedition 27 NASA Flight Engineer Ron Garan, left, Expedition 27 Soyuz Commander Alexander Samokutyaev and Expedition 27 Flight Engineer Andrey Borisenko, third from left, walk out to salute Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency Anatoly Perminov, far right, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome prior to their launch onboard the Soyuz TMA-21 to the International Space Station (ISS), Tuesday, April 5, 2011 in Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Victor Zelentsov)

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Left, and Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov turn to pose for a photograph at Mission Control Center Moscow in Korolev, Russia shortly after the successful docking of the Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft with the International Space Station (ISS) marking the start of Expedition 21 with Flight Engineer Jeffrey N. Williams, Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev, and Spaceflight Participant Guy Laliberté, Friday, Oct. 2, 2009. Lalibreté will return to Earth with the Expedition 20 crew on October 11, 2009. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Left, and Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov listen to reporter's questions during a press conference at Mission Control Center Moscow in Korolev, Russia shortly after the successful docking of the Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft with the International Space Station (ISS) marking the start of Expedition 21 with Flight Engineer Jeffrey N. Williams, Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev, and Spaceflight Participant Guy Laliberté, Friday, Oct. 2, 2009. Laliberté will return to Earth with the Expedition 20 crew on October 11, 2009. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, right, holds the phone while Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov, talks to the crew of the International Spacer Station (ISS) from the Mission Control Center Moscow in Korolev, Russia shortly after the successful docking of the Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft with the International Space Station marking the start of Expedition 21 with Flight Engineer Jeffrey N. Williams, Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev, and Spaceflight Participant Guy Laliberté, Friday, Oct. 2, 2009. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 24 NASA Flight Engineer Doug Wheelock, left, Expedition 24 Soyuz Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Expedition 24 Flight Engineer Shannon Walker, third from left, walk out to salute Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency Anatoly Perminov, far right, prior to their launch onboard the Soyuz TMA-19 to the International Space Station (ISS), Wednesday, June 16, 2010 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Victor Zelentsov)

Expedition 23 NASA Flight Engineer Tracy Caldwell Dyson, left, Expedition 23 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov and Expedition 23 Flight Engineer Mikhail Kornienko, third from left, walk out to salute Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency Anatoly Perminov, third from right, prior to their launch onboard the Soyuz TMA-18 to the International Space Station (ISS), Friday, April 2, 2010 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Victor Zelentsov)

Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer Mike Fincke, left, Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka, center and European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers of the Netherlands arrive at the Soyuz launch pad prior to being launched to the ISS, and are met by space officials including Anatoly Perminov, Director of the Russian Space Agency, second from far right, Monday, April 19, 2004, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov, center, and Deputy Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Vitaly A. Davyidov listen to reporters questions during a press conference at Mission Control Center Moscow in Korolev, Russia shortly after the successful docking of the Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft with the International Space Station (ISS) marking the start of Expedition 21 with Flight Engineer Jeffrey N. Williams, Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev, and Spaceflight Participant Guy Laliberté, Friday, Oct. 2, 2009. The entire crew onboard the ISS can be seen in the monitor below. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 27 Russian Flight Engineer Andrey Borisenko, far right, Expedition 27 Soyuz Commander Alexander Samokutyaev and Expedition 27 NASA Flight Engineer Ron Garan, third from right, talk to Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency Anatoly Perminov, far left, prior to their launch on board the Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft to the International Space Station, Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz, which has been dubbed “Gagarin”, is launching one week shy of the 50th anniversary of the launch of Yuri Gagarin from the same launch pad in Baikonur on April 12, 1961 to become the first human to fly in space. Photo Credit: (NASA/Victor Zelentsov)

Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev, center, Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer John Phillips and European Space Agency Astronaut Roberto Vittori, of Italy, right, talk to Anatoly Perminov, Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) prior to launch aboard the Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Friday, April 15, 2005. Krikalev and Phillips will spend six months on the Station, replacing Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov, while Vittori will spend eight days on the Station under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency, returning to Earth with Chiao and Sharipov on April 25. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev, Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer John Phillips and European Space Agency Astronaut Roberto Vittori, of Italy, talk to Anatoly Perminov, Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) prior to launch aboard the Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Friday, April 15, 2005. Krikalev and Phillips will spend six months on the Station, replacing Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao and Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov, while Vittori will spend eight days on the Station under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency, returning to Earth with Chiao and Sharipov on April 25. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

At the headquarters of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) in Moscow March 11, 2011, Roscosmos Head Anatoly Perminov (center right), Alexei Krasnov, Roscosmos’ Head of Piloted Space Programs, and Joel Montalbano, NASA Director of Human Spaceflight Programs, Russia, discuss the upcoming launch of the Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft with Expedition 27 prime crew members: Russian cosmonaut Alexander Samokutyaev (far right), cosmonaut Andrey Borisenko, and NASA astronaut Ron Garan, along with backup crewmembers Anton Shklaperov, Anatoly Ivanishin and Daniel Burbank. Samokutyaev, Borisenko and Garan are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on March 30 (Kazakhstan time). The occasion was a traditional “tea” with Perminov prior to the crew’s departure for the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan March 17. Photo credit: NASA/Stephanie Stoll

At the headquarters of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) in Moscow March 11, 2011, Expedition 27 crewmembers Ron Garan of NASA (left) and Russian cosmonauts Andrey Borisenko and Alexander Samokutyaev, discuss their upcoming launch with Roscosmos Head Anatoly Perminov and other Roscosmos management. Garan, Borisenko and Samokutyaev are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station aboard their Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft on March 30 (Kazakhstan time). The occasion was a traditional “tea” with Perminov prior to the crew’s departure for the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan March 17. Photo credit: NASA/Stephanie Stoll

Expedition 27 NASA Flight Engineer Ron Garan, left, Expedition 27 Soyuz Commander Alexander Samokutyaev and Expedition 27 Flight Engineer Andrey Borisenko, third from left, walk out to salute Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency Anatoly Perminov at the Baikonur Cosmodrome prior to their launch onboard the Soyuz TMA-21 to the International Space Station (ISS), Tuesday, April 5, 2011 in Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Victor Zelentsov)

Spaceflight Participant Guy Laliberté, left, Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev, center and Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Jeffrey N. Williams walk out to salute Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov prior to their launch onboard a Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station (ISS), Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Victor Zelentsov)

KAZAKHSTAN -- Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov, talks to the crew of the International Space Station (ISS) from the Mission Control Center Moscow in Korolev, Russia shortly after the successful docking of the Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft with the International Space Station marking the start of Expedition 21 with Flight Engineer Jeffrey N. Williams, Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev, and Spaceflight Participant Guy Laliberte, Friday, Oct. 2, 2009. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

At the headquarters of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) in Moscow March 11, 2011, Roscosmos Head Anatoly Perminov (center left), Alexei Krasnov, Roscosmos’ Head of Piloted Space Programs, and Joel Montalbano, NASA Director of Human Spaceflight Programs, Russia, discuss the upcoming launch of the Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft with Expedition 27 crew members, Russian cosmonaut Alexander Samokutyaev (far right), cosmonaut Andrey Borisenko, and NASA astronaut Ron Garan. Samokutyaev, Borisenko and Garan are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station on March 30 (Kazakhstan time). The occasion was a traditional “tea” with Perminov prior to the crew’s departure for the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan March 17. Photo credit: NASA/Stephanie Stoll

KAZAKHSTAN -- NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, left, and Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov turn to pose for a photograph at Mission Control Center Moscow in Korolev, Russia shortly after the successful docking of the Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft with the International Space Station (ISS) marking the start of Expedition 21 with Flight Engineer Jeffrey N. Williams, Expedition 21 Flight Engineer Maxim Suraev, and Spaceflight Participant Guy Laliberte, Friday, Oct. 2, 2009. Lalibrete will return to Earth with the Expedition 20 crew on October 11, 2009. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

JSC2008-E-032794 (8 April 2008) --- At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 17 Commander Sergei Volkov (center), Flight Engineer Oleg Kononenko (right) and South Korean spaceflight participant So-yeon Yi bid farewell to Anatoly Perminov, the head of the Russian Federal Space Agency on April 8, 2008, prior to heading to the launch pad for their liftoff on the Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft to the International Space Station. Volkov and Kononenko will spend six months on the station, while Yi will spend nine days on the complex under a commercial agreement between South Korea and the Russian Federal Space Agency. Photo Credit: NASA /Victor Zelentsov

JSC2010-E-041313 (19 March 2010) --- At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, the prime crew for the next Soyuz launch to the International Space Station receives its certification for flight from Russian space officials March 19, 2010. At the top of the picture, Expedition 23 Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov (left), Soyuz commander, cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko (center) and NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson, both Expedition 23 flight engineers, listen as the head of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov (lower right) provides the certification along with cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev (lower left), who is the head of the Cosmonaut Training Center. Skvortsov, Kornienko and Caldwell Dyson will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan April 2 in their Soyuz TMA-18 spacecraft and will dock to the station April 4. Credit: NASA/Stephanie Stoll

Photo Credit: (NASA/Victor Zelentsov)