Expedition 6 International Space Station Science Officer Don Pettit speaks during a press conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Thursday, May 6, 2003. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 9 Flight Engineer Michael Fincke, lower left, greets his wife and children for the first time in six months after exiting the Gargarin Cosmonaut Training Center's airplane in Star City, Russia, Sunday October 24, 2004. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 28 crew members, Flight Engineer Mike Fossum, left, Soyuz commander Sergei Volkov, center, and Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa, pose for a photograph on the grounds of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Wednesday, May 25, 2011 in Star City, Russia. The crew later departed for Baikonur, Kazakhstan in preparation for their June launch onboard a Soyuz rocket. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 28 crew members, Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa, left, Soyuz commander Sergei Volkov, center, and Flight Engineer Mike Fossum, answer reporters questions during a crew departure press conference held on the grounds of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Wednesday, May 25, 2011 in Star City, Russia. The crew later departed for Baikonur, Kazakhstan in preparation for their June launch onboard a Soyuz rocket. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 28 crew members, Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa, left, Soyuz commander Sergei Volkov, center, and Flight Engineer Mike Fossum, answer reporters questions during a crew departure press conference held on the grounds of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Wednesday, May 25, 2011 in Star City, Russia. The crew later departed for Baikonur, Kazakhstan in preparation for their June launch onboard a Soyuz rocket. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The crew return bus pulls away from the Gargarin Cosmonaut Training Center's airplane in Star City, Russia. The Soyuz capsule carrying Expedition 9 Flight Engineer Michael Fincke, Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka and Russian Space Forces cosmonaut Yuri Shargin landed approximately 85 kilometers northeast of Arkalyk in northern Kazakhstan, Sunday, October 24, 2004. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 30 Flight Engineer Anatoly Ivanishin is welcomed home by colleagues and family in Star City, Russia on Saturday, April 28, 2012. Russian Cosmonaut Ivanishin, Expedition 30 Commander Daniel Burbank, and Russian Cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov landed outside of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan earlier in the day from over five months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedtion 29 and 30 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)
Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao, left, is greeted by his wife after arriving in Star City, Russia from Kazakhstan, Monday, April 25, 2005. The Expedition 10 crew brought their Soyuz TMA-5 capsule to a pre-dawn landing April 25 northeast of the town of Arkalyk to wrap up a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station for Chiao and Sharipov, and a ten-day mission for Vittori, who flew under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 10 Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov, on bus, looks out at well wishers after arriving back at Star City, Russia from Kazakhstan, Monday, April 25, 2005. Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao, Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori brought their Soyuz TMA-5 capsule to a pre-dawn landing April 25 northeast of the town of Arkalyk to wrap up a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station for Chiao and Sharipov, and a ten-day mission for Vittori, who flew under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Renita Fincke follows the arrival of her husband, NASA astronaut Michael Fincke, to the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center while holding their 4 month-old baby Tarali Fincke, Sunday, October 24, 2004, in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 6 Commander Ken Bowersox, left and NASA International Space Station Science Officer Don Pettit speak during a press conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Thursday, May 6, 2003. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 6 Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin, left, Commander Ken Bowersox and International Space Station Science Officer Don Pettit, right, pose for photos at a press conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Thursday, May 6, 2003. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 6 Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin, left, Commander Ken Bowersox and International Space Station Science Officer Don Pettit, right, pose for photos at a press conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Thursday, May 6, 2003. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 6 Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin, left, Commander Ken Bowersox and NASA International Space Station Science Officer Don Pettit, right, answer questions during a press conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Thursday, May 6, 2003. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 16 Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko, second from left, and Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson meet with Russian officials at the foot of the airplane steps after they arrived at Chkalovsky Airport near Star City, Russia, Friday, April 19, 2008. Whitson, Malechenko and Yi landed their Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft on April 19, 2008 in central Kazakhstan to complete 192 days in space for Whitson and Malenchenko and 11 days in orbit for Yi. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 30 Flight Engineers Anatoly Ivanishin, far left, and Anton Shkaplerov are welcomed home by colleagues and family in Star City, Russia on Saturday, April 28, 2012. Russian Cosmonauts Ivanishin, Shkaplerov and Expedition 30 Commander Daniel Burbank landed outside of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan earlier in the day from over five months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedtion 29 and 30 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)
Russian Federal Space Agency Deputy General-Director Nikolai Moiseev, center, Renita Fincke, wife of Expedition 9 Flight Engineer Michael Fincke, second from right with baby, and other officials and family members celebrate the return of the Expedition 9 crew to Star City, Russia after their Soyuz capsule landed safely approximately 85 kilometers northeast of Arkalyk in northern Kazakhstan, Sunday, October 24, 2004. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 16 Commander Peggy Whitson, bottom, South Korean spaceflight participant So-yeon Yi and Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko, top, walk down the airplane steps as they arrive at Chkalovsky Airport near Star City, Russia, Friday, April 19, 2008. Whitson, Malechenko and Yi landed their Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft on April 19, 2008 in central Kazakhstan to complete 192 days in space for Whitson and Malenchenko and 11 days in orbit for Yi. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Members of the 11th expedition to the International Space Station, astronaut John Phillips, top left, and cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, front, arrive at Star City, Russia, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2005. The crew landed near Arlalyk, Kazakhstan after a six-month mission in orbit. Along with American businessman Greg Olsen, who visited the station for more than a week, Phillips and Krikalev returned to Earth aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 39 Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, second from left, is welcomed home by family, friends, and government officials at the Chkalovsky airport outside Star City, Russia, Wednesday, May 14, 2014. Tyurin, Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA landed in their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft earlier in the day near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan. Wakata, Tyurin and Mastracchio returned to Earth after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 38 and 39 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Family, friends, and government officials wait to welcome home Expedition 39 Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos at the Chkalovsky airport outside Star City, Russia, Wednesday, May 14, 2014. Tyurin, Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA landed in their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft earlier in the day near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan. Wakata, Tyurin and Mastracchio returned to Earth after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 38 and 39 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 39 Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, left, departs a plane to a crowd of family, friends, and government officials at the Chkalovsky airport outside Star City, Russia, Wednesday, May 14, 2014. Tyurin, Expedition 39 Commander Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA landed in their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft earlier in the day near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan. Wakata, Tyurin and Mastracchio returned to Earth after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 38 and 39 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, of Italy, waves to well-wishers upon departure from the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center training base, Saturday, April 9, 2005, in Star City, Russia. Vittori will spend eight days on the Station under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Renita Fincke, left, watches her husband, NASA astronaut Michael Fincke and Expedition 9 Flight Engineer depart from the crew bus while holding her 4 month-old baby Tarali Fincke, Sunday, October 24, 2004 in Star City, Russia. Astronaut Terry Virts helps by holding Chandra Fincke. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov, bottom left, Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, top left, arrive in Star City, Russia, Monday, April 25, 2005, after thet brought their Soyuz TMA-5 capsule to a pre-dawn landing northeast of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Renita Fincke, right, awaits the arrival of her husband NASA astronaut Michael Fincke, while holding their 4 month-old baby Tarali, Sunday, October 24, 2004, in Star City, Russia. Astronaut Terry Virts, Center helps by holding 2 year-old Chandra Fincke. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
May 6, 2003. Star City, Russia. Expedition Six Commander Ken Bowersox speaks at a Press Conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: "NASA/Bill Ingalls"
May 6, 2003. Star City, Russia. Expedition Six Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin speaks during a Press Conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: "NASA/Bill Ingalls"
Expedition 10 Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov, far right, Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, third from right, are treated to a traditional salt and bread welcoming at Star City, Russia, Monday, April 25, 2005. The crew brought their Soyuz TMA-5 capsule to a pre-dawn landing April 25 northeast of the town of Arkalyk in Kazakhstan to wrap up a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station for Chiao and Sharipov, and a ten-day mission for Vittori, who flew under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao, far left, Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, third from left, are welcomed home by officials at Star City, Russia, Monday, April 25, 2005. The crew brought their Soyuz TMA-5 capsule to a pre-dawn landing April 25 northeast of the town of Arkalyk to wrap up a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station for Chiao and Sharipov, and a ten-day mission for Vittori, who flew under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori, right, Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao and Expedition 10 Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov, second from left, are welcomed home by well wishers at Star City, Russia, Monday, April 25, 2005. The crew brought their Soyuz TMA-5 capsule to a pre-dawn landing April 25 northeast of the town of Arkalyk in Kazakhstan to wrap up a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station for Chiao and Sharipov, and a ten-day mission for Vittori, who flew under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
May 6, 2003. Star City, Russia. Expedition Six NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit speaks during a Press Conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: "NASA/Bill Ingalls"
STAR CITY, RUSSIA - Expedition Six NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit speaks during a Press Conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. The Expedition Six crew spent 161 days in space, 159 manning the International Space Station. Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
May 6, 2003. Star City, Russia. Expedition Six Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin (L), Commander Ken Bowersox (C), and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit (R) pose for photos at a Press Conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: "NASA/Bill Ingalls"
STAR CITY, RUSSIA - Expedition Six Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin speaks during a Press Conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. The Expedition Six crew spent 161 days in space, 159 manning the International Space Station. Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
STAR CITY, RUSSIA - Expedition Six Commander Ken Bowersox speaks at a Press Conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. The Expedition Six crew spent 161 days in space, 159 manning the International Space Station. Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
May 6, 2003. Star City, Russia. Expedition Six Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin (L), Commander Ken Bowersox (C), and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit (R) pose for photos at a Press Conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: "NASA/Bill Ingalls"
This radar image shows the Star City cosmonaut training center, east of Moscow, Russia. Four American astronauts are training here for future long-duration flights aboard the Russian Mir space station. These joint flights are giving NASA and the Russian Space Agency experience necessary for the construction of the international Alpha space station, beginning in late 1997. This image was acquired by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR), on its 62nd orbit on October 3, 1994. This Star City image is centered at 55.55 degrees north latitude and 38.0 degrees east longitude. The area shown is approximately 32 kilometers by 49 kilometers (20 miles by 30 miles). North is to the top in this image. The radar illumination is from the top of the image. The image was produced using three channels of SIR-C radar data: red indicates L-band (23 cm wavelength, horizontally transmitted and received); green indicates L-band (horizontally transmitted and vertically received); blue indicates C-band (6 cm wavelength, horizontally transmitted and vertically received). In general, dark pink areas are agricultural; pink and light blue areas are urban communities; black areas represent lakes and rivers; dark blue areas are cleared forest; and light green areas are forested. The prominent black runways just right of center are Shchelkovo Airfield, about 4 km long. The textured pale blue-green area east and southeast of Shchelkovo Airfield is forest. Just east of the runways is a thin railroad line running southeast; the Star City compound lies just east of the small bend in the rail line. Star City contains the living quarters and training facilities for Russian cosmonauts and their families. Moscow's inner loop road is visible at the lower left edge of the image. The Kremlin is just off the left edge, on the banks of the meandering Moskva River. The Klyazma River snakes to the southeast from the reservoir in the upper left (shown in bright red), passing just east of Star City and flowing off the lower right edge of the image. The dark blue band of the Vorya River runs north-south in the upper right quadrant, east of Star City. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA01775
Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev, left, Flight Engineer John Phillips bid farewell as they depart the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center training base, Saturday, April 9, 2005, in Star City, Russia to travel to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for final pre-launch preparations. Krikalev, Phillips along with European Space Agency Astronaut Roberto Vittori will launch April 15 on a Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft to the International Space Station. Krikalev and Phillips will spend six months in space and greet the first Shuttle crew to fly in more than two years when it arrives at the Station, while Vittori spends eight days on the Station under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev, center, Flight Engineer John Phillips, left, and European Space Agency Astronaut Roberto Vittori, of Italy, answer questions from the media prior to their departure from the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center training base, Saturday, April 9, 2005, in Star City, Russia. The trio traveled to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for final pre-launch preparations. Krikalev, Phillips and Vittori will launch April 15 on a Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft to the International Space Station. Krikalev and Phillips will spend six months in space and greet the first Shuttle crew to fly in more than two years when it arrives at the Station, while Vittori spends eight days on the Station under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev, center, Flight Engineer John Phillips, left, and European Space Agency Astronaut Roberto Vittori, of Italy, answer questions from the media prior to their departure from the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center training base, Saturday, April 9, 2005, in Star City, Russia. The trio traveled to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for final pre-launch preparations. Krikalev, Phillips and Vittori will launch April 15 on a Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft to the International Space Station. Krikalev and Phillips will spend six months in space and greet the first Shuttle crew to fly in more than two years when it arrives at the Station, while Vittori spends eight days on the Station under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev, center, accompanied by Flight Engineer John Phillips, left, and European Space Agency Astronaut Roberto Vittori of Italy are seen at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center training base, Saturday, April 9, 2005, in Star City, Russia, prior to their departure to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for final pre-launch preparations. Krikalev, Phillips and Vittori will launch April 15 on a Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft to the International Space Station. Krikalev and Phillips will spend six months in space and greet the first Shuttle crew to fly in more than two years when it arrives at the Station, while Vittori spends eight days on the Station under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev, center, Flight Engineer John Phillips, left, and European Space Agency Astronaut Roberto Vittori of Italy, far right, depart the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center training base, Saturday, April 9, 2005, in Star City, Russia for travel to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for final pre-launch preparations. Krikalev, Phillips and Vittori will launch April 15 on a Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft to the International Space Station. Krikalev and Phillips will spend six months in space and greet the first Shuttle crew to fly in more than two years when it arrives at the Station, while Vittori spends eight days on the Station under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Federal Space Agency. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
STAR CITY, RUSSIA - Expedition Six Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin (left), Commander Ken Bowersox (center), and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit (right) pose for photos at a Press Conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. The Expedition Six crew spent 161 days in space, 159 manning the International Space Station. Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
STAR CITY, RUSSIA - Expedition Six Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin (left), Commander Ken Bowersox (center), and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit (right) answer questions during a Press Conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. The Expedition Six crew spent 161 days in space, 159 manning the International Space Station. Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
STAR CITY, RUSSIA - Expedition Six Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin (large), Commander Ken Bowersox (center), and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit (right) pose for photos at a Press Conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. The Expedition Six crew spent 161 days in space, 159 manning the International Space Station. Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
May 6, 2003. Star City, Russia. Expedition Six Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin (L), Commander Ken Bowersox (C), and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit (R) answer questions during a Press Conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: "NASA/Bill Ingalls"
STAR CITY, RUSSIA - Russian Space Agency Director Yuri Koptev shakes hands with Expedition Six Commander Ken Bowersox, as Bowersox is also hugged by his wife Annie. The Expedition Six crew spent 161 days in space, 159 manning the International Space Station. Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
STAR CITY, RUSSIA - NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe (left) visits with Expedition Six Commander Ken Bowersox (right) and his brother (center). The Expedition Six crew spent 161 days in space, 159 manning the International Space Station. Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
jsc2019e003769 (Feb. 19, 2019) --- At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 59 crew members Christina Koch of NASA (left), Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos (center) and Nick Hague of NASA (right) pose for pictures Feb. 19 during the first of two days of final pre-launch qualification exams. They will launch March 14, U.S. time, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Beth Weissinger
jsc2019e003765 (Feb. 19, 2019) --- At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 59 crew members Christina Koch of NASA (left), Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos (center) and Nick Hague of NASA (right) wave to cameras Feb. 19 during the first of two days of final pre-launch qualification exams. They will launch March 14, U.S. time, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Beth Weissinger
jsc2019e003768 (Feb. 19, 2019) --- At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 59 crew members Christina Koch of NASA (left), Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos (center) and Nick Hague of NASA (right) pose for pictures Feb. 19 during the first of two days of final pre-launch qualification exams. They will launch March 14, U.S. time, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Beth Weissinger
jsc2019e003767 (Feb. 19, 2019) --- At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 59 crew members Christina Koch of NASA (left), Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos (center) and Nick Hague of NASA (right) pose for pictures Feb. 19 during the first of two days of final pre-launch qualification exams. They will launch March 14, U.S. time, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Beth Weissinger
jsc2019e003770 (Feb. 19, 2019) --- At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 59 crew members Christina Koch of NASA (left), Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos (center) and Nick Hague of NASA (right) report to Russian space officials Feb. 19 during the first of two days of final pre-launch qualification exams. They will launch March 14, U.S. time, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Beth Weissinger
jsc2019e003772 (Feb. 19, 2019) --- At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 59 crew members Christina Koch of NASA (left), Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos (center) and Nick Hague of NASA (right) report to Russian space officials Feb. 19 during the first of two days of final pre-launch qualification exams. They will launch March 14, U.S. time, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Beth Weissinger
jsc2019e003775 (Feb. 19, 2019) --- At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 59 crew members Christina Koch of NASA (left), Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos (center) and Nick Hague of NASA (right) report to Russian space officials Feb. 19 during the first of two days of final pre-launch qualification exams. They will launch March 14, U.S. time, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Beth Weissinger
jsc2019e003771 (Feb. 19, 2019) --- At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 59 crew members Christina Koch of NASA (left), Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos (center) and Nick Hague of NASA (right) report to Russian space officials Feb. 19 during the first of two days of final pre-launch qualification exams. They will launch March 14, U.S. time, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Beth Weissinger
October 12, 2003, Star City, Russia. Expedition 8 Commander Michael Foale (right) and Expedition 8 Soyuz Commander and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri (center) are joined by European Space Agency Astronaut Pedro Duque of Spain at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center outside Moscow to pose for pictures prior to their departure for the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for the October 18th launch on a Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: "NASA/Bill Ingalls"
iss073e0379932 (July 15, 2025) --- Houston, Texas, the Lone Star State's largest city with a metropolitan population of about 7.12 million, is pictured at approximately 2:52 a.m. local time from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above. Houston is ringed by three main beltways including the innermost I-610, followed by the Sam Houston Tollway, and the outermost Grand Parkway which will be the longest beltway in the U.S. upon completion.
JSC2003-E-28142 (March 2003) --- Cosmonaut Yuri I. Malenchenko (left), Expedition Seven commander; and astronaut Edward T. Lu, NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer, take time out from practicing launch procedures in a Soyuz capsule simulator as part of their training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. Malenchenko and Lu are scheduled to be launched in the spring of this year from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in a Soyuz TMA-2 capsule to begin a six-month stay on the International Space Station.
iss072e147765 (Nov. 9, 2024) --- The streaks of city lights, star trails, an aurora, and Earth's atmospheric glow highlight this long-duration photograph taken from the International Space Station as it orbited 259 miles above the North Pacific Ocean off the coast of Japan.
Expedition 43 Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), waves out a window to fellow crew mates, NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly, and, Russian Cosmonaut Gennady Padalka of Roscosmos, as they prepare to depart the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia for Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Saturday, March 14, 2015, Star City, Russia. The trio is preparing for launch to the International Space Station in their Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan March 28, Kazakh time. As the one-year crew, Kelly and Kornienko will return to Earth on Soyuz TMA-18M in March 2016. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The prime and backup crew members for Expedition 28 to the International Space Station pose for pictures on the grounds of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, from left to right are NASA astronaut and backup flight engineer Don Pettit, Russian cosmonaut and backup Soyuz commander Oleg Kononenko, European Space Agency astronaut and backup flight engineer Andre Kuipers, NASA astronaut and prime crew flight engineer Mike Fossum, Russian cosmonaut and prime Soyuz commander Sergei Volkov, Japan Aerospace astronaut and prime crew flight engineer Satoshi Furukawa. The crew later departed for Baikonur, Kazakhstan in preparation for their June launch onboard a Soyuz rocket. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka, center, and Expedition 9 Flight Engineer Michael Fincke, background, exit the Gargarin Cosmonaut Training Center's airplane to an awaiting crowd of officials and family members after their flight from Kustanay, Kazakhstan, Sunday, October 24, 2004. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
A Soyuz TMA spacecraft mockup is seen at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Monday, April 23, 2012 in Star City, Russia. Expedition 31 prime and backup crew members train in the Soyuz mockup in preparation for final flight to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)
Family of Expedition 65 prime crew member, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos, bids him farewell prior to his departure to Baikonur for launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Friday, March 26, 2021 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)
The Soyuz simulator is seen as Expedition 49 NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, Russian cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko of Roscosmos, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The interior of the Soyuz simulator is seen as Expedition 49 NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough, Russian cosmonauts Sergei Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko of Roscosmos take their Soyuz qualification exams, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016, at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
International Space Station mockup training modules are seen at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Monday, April 23, 2012 in Star City, Russia. Expedition 31 prime and backup crew members train in these moduls in preparation for final flight to the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)
Expedition 50 crew member NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is seen inside an International Space Station module mockup during her crew's Soyuz qualification exams, Monday, Oct. 24, 2016, at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 65 prime crew member, Russian cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov of Roscosmos, boards the bus that will take him to his flight to Baikonur for launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Friday, March 26, 2021 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, right, along with Russian space officials welcome the crew of Expedition 6 as they return from Kazakhstan and the landing of their Soyuz capsule on Tuesday, May 4, 2003 in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, left, visits with Expedition 6 Commander Ken Bowersox, far right and his brother on Tuesday, May 4, 2003, in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 52 flight engineer Randy Bresnik of NASA is seen during a crew press conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC), Monday, July 10, 2017 in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 65 backup crew member NASA astronaut Anne McClain, speaks during a press conference prior to the prime crew’s launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Irina Spector)
Expedition 64 crew member Sergey Ryzhikov of Roscosmos signs in for Soyuz qualification exams as crew mate Sergey Kud-Sverchkov of Roscosmos looks on, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)
Expedition 52 backup crew member Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is seen during a crew press conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC), Monday, July 10, 2017 in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 65 prime crew member, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, waves goodbye after boarding the bus to his flight to Baikonur for launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Friday, March 26, 2021 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)
nhq2017070600117 (July 6, 2017) --- Expedition 52 flight engineer Randy Bresnik of NASA demonstrates the width inside a Soyuz simulator, Thursday, July 6, 2017 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 64 backup crew member Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos is seen during a press conference, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)
Expedition 65 prime crew member Russian cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov of Roscosmos waves during a press conference prior to his launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Irina Spector)
Expedition 65 backup crew member Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos is seen during a press conference prior to the prime crew’s launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)
Expedition 65 backup crew member Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev speaks during a press conference prior to the prime crew’s launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Irina Spector)
Expedition 65 backup crew member NASA astronaut Anne McClain speaks during a press conference prior to the prime crew’s launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)
Expedition 52 backup crew member Mark Vande Hei of NASA is seen during a crew press conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC), Monday, July 10, 2017 in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
nhq2017070600116 (July 6, 2017) --- Expedition 52 flight engineer Randy Bresnik of NASA is seen inside a Soyuz simulator, Thursday, July 6, 2017 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 65 prime crew member NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, speaks during a press conference prior to his launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)
Expedition 64 backup crew member Petr Dubrov of Roscosmos speaks to Mark Vande Hei of NASA during a press conference, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)
Expedition 65 prime crew member NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, waves during a press conference prior to his launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)
Expedition 65 prime crew member Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos is seen during a press conference prior to his launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)
Expedition 50 NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, left, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos, center, and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet pose for a group photograph at the conclusion of a press conference, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2016, at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 64 prime crew member Sergey Ryzhikov of Roscosmos, speaks during a press conference prior to his launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)
Expedition 65 prime crew member NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, is seen during a press conference prior to his launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)
Expedition 64 prime crew member Sergey Kud-Sverchkov speaks during a press conference prior to his launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)
Expedition 52 flight engineer Sergey Ryazanskiy of Roscosmos is seen during a crew press conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC), Monday, July 10, 2017 in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 31 backup crew member Oleg Novitskiy, foreground, and Kevin Ford head towards a Soyuz spacecraft mockup to conduct final simulation tests in preparation for flight, Monday, April 23, 2012 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Carla Cioffi)
Expedition 64 backup crew member Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos, arrives for Soyuz qualification exams Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)
Expedition 65 backup crew member Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos waves during a press conference prior to the prime crew’s launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)
Expedition 65 prime crew member Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos waves during a press conference prior to his launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)
nhq201707070001 (July 7, 2017) --- A bulletin board outlines the Expedition 52 prime and backup crew members Soyuz qualification exams, Friday, July 7, 2017 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC) in Star City, Russia. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)