NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, a flight engineer during International Space Station Expedition 53/54, visits NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center Nov. 9. He met with the Marshall team, American service veterans participating in the Wounded Warrior Project and area students, including Space Campers from the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Vande Hei flew to the space station in September 2017 and returned in February 2018. During his months in space, he performed two critical spacewalks to replace the gripping mechanism and cameras on Canadarm2, and to lubricate newly installed components.
jsc2017e108518 (June 30, 2017) --- Cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos is the flight engineer for Expedition 53 and the commander of Expedition 54. Misurkin is also the commander of the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft launching him and fellow Expedition 53-54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei to the International Space Station.
jsc2017e108516 (June 30, 2017) --- Expedition 53-54 Flight Engineer and NASA astronaut Joe Acaba.
jsc2017e000683_alt (Feb. 22, 2016) --- Official portrait of NASA astronaut and Expedition 53-54 Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei.
jsc2017e108517 (June 30, 2017) --- Expedition 53-54 Flight Engineer and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei.
jsc2017e108519 (June 30, 2017) --- Expedition 53-54 crew members (from left) NASA astronaut Joe Acaba, Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei.
jsc2017e108516_alt (June 30, 2017) --- Portrait of NASA astronaut and Expedition 53-54 Flight Engineer Joe Acaba attired in his Sokol launch and entry suit at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia.
NASA, Roscosmos, and Russian Search and Rescue teams arrive in Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan to prepare for the Soyuz MS-06 landing with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA and Roscosmos team members, along with Russian Search and Recovery Forces, meet to discuss the readiness for the landing of Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA and Roscosmos team members, along with Russian Search and Recovery Forces, meet to discuss the readiness for the landing of Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin are seen inside their Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft shortly after they landed near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA, Roscosmos, and Russian Search and Rescue teams arrive in Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan to prepare for the Soyuz MS-06 landing with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 54 crew members Alexander Misurkinat of Roscosmos, left, and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei are seen during a welcome ceremony at the Zhezkazgan Airport on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018. 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Vande Hei, and Misurkin returned with NASA astronaut Joe Acaba after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Russian Search and Rescue teams deploy on MI-8 helicopters from Karaganda to Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan to prepare for the Soyuz MS-06 landing with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA and Roscosmos team members, along with Russian Search and Recovery Forces, meet to discuss the readiness for the landing of Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Russian Search and Rescue teams deploy on MI-8 helicopters from Karaganda to Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan to prepare for the Soyuz MS-06 landing with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA, Roscosmos, and Russian Search and Rescue teams arrive in Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan to prepare for the Soyuz MS-06 landing with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Russian Search and Rescue teams deploy on MI-8 helicopters from Karaganda to Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan to prepare for the Soyuz MS-06 landing with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Russian Search and Rescue teams deploy on MI-8 helicopters from Karaganda to Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan to prepare for the Soyuz MS-06 landing with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Russian Search and Rescue teams deploy on MI-8 helicopters from Karaganda to Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan to prepare for the Soyuz MS-06 landing with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Russian Search and Rescue teams arrive at the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft shortly after it landed with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA, Roscosmos, and Russian Search and Rescue teams arrive at the Karagada airport to deploy to Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan to pre-stage for the Soyuz MS-06 landing with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA, Roscosmos, and Russian Search and Rescue teams arrive in Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan to prepare for the Soyuz MS-06 landing with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Russian Search and Rescue teams deploy on MI-8 helicopters from Karaganda to Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan to prepare for the Soyuz MS-06 landing with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA, Roscosmos, and Russian Search and Rescue teams arrive in Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan to prepare for the Soyuz MS-06 landing with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA, Roscosmos, and Russian Search and Rescue teams arrive in Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan to prepare for the Soyuz MS-06 landing with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Russian Search and Rescue teams arrive at the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft shortly after it landed with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA and Roscosmos team members, along with Russian Search and Recovery Forces, meet to discuss the readiness for the landing of Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Russian Search and Rescue teams arrive at the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft shortly after it landed with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Girls in ceremonial Kazak dress wait to welcome the return of Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin at a Zhezkazgan Airport welcome ceremony in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018. 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Russian Search and Rescue teams arrive at the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft shortly after it landed with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA and Roscosmos team members, along with Russian Search and Recovery Forces, meet to discuss the readiness for the landing of Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA, Roscosmos, and Russian Search and Rescue teams deploy from Karaganda to Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan to prepare for the Soyuz MS-06 landing with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Russian Search and Rescue teams deploy on MI-8 helicopters from Karaganda to Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan to prepare for the Soyuz MS-06 landing with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Russian Search and Rescue teams arrive at the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft shortly after it landed with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei, right, present Walt Whitman Middle School Principal Craig Herring with a montage from their Expedition 54 mission, Thursday, June 14, 2018 in Alexandria, Va. Acaba and astronaut Mark Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
Expedition 54 crew members Alexander Misurkinat of Roscosmos, left, and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei are seen during a welcome ceremony at the Zhezkazgan Airport on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018. 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Vande Hei, and Misurkin returned with NASA astronaut Joe Acaba after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin are seen inside their Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft shortly after they landed near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Russian Search and Rescue teams deploy from Karaganda to Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan to prepare for the Soyuz MS-06 landing with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Russian Search and Rescue teams arrive at the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft shortly after it landed with Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Expedition 54 cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin of the Russian space agency Roscosmos is welcomed at the Chkalovsky Airport in Star City, Russia by family and colleagues a few hours after he and NASA astronauts Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei landed their Soyuz MS-06 capsule near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA Director for Human Space Flight Programs, Russia, Chad Rowe, left talks during a meeting with NASA, Roscosmos and Russian Search and Recovery Forces where the readiness for the landing of Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin was discussed, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA International Space Station Operations Integration Manager Kenny Todd, left, and NASA Director for Human Space Flight Programs, Russia, Chad Rowe, along with Roscosmos and Russian Search and Recovery Forces, meet to discuss the readiness for the landing of Expedition 54 crew members Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin Sunday, Feb. 25, 2018. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba right, answer audience questions with the Smithsonian's Marty Kelsey, center, during "What's New in Aerospace," Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
jsc2017e114474 (Aug. 28, 2017) --- In the Integration Facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Expedition 53-54 crewmembers pose for pictures Aug. 28 during pre-launch training activities in front of their Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft. Joe Acaba of NASA (left), Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos (center) and Mark Vande Hei of NASA (right) will launch Sept. 13 on the Soyuz MS-06 for a five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center/Irina Peshkova
NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei right, answer audience questions with the Smithsonian's Marty Kelsey, center, during "What's New in Aerospace," Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba right, answer audience questions with the Smithsonian's Marty Kelsey, center, during "What's New in Aerospace," Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA astronaut Joe Acaba answers an audience members question during "What's New in Aerospace," Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Acaba and astronaut Mark Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
jsc2017e114482 (Sept. 1, 2017) --- At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 53-54 crewmembers Joe Acaba of NASA (left), Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos (center) and Mark Vande Hei of NASA (right) pose for pictures following a news conference Sept. 1. They will launch Sept. 13 on the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a five and a half month mission aboard the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Elizabeth Weissinger
NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei speaks about his time onboard the International Space Station during a presentation to students at Walt Whitman Middle School, Thursday, June 14, 2018 in Alexandria, Va. Vande Hei and astronaut Joe Acaba answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA astronaut Joe Acaba speaks about his experiences onboard the International Space Station during "What's New in Aerospace," Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Acaba and astronaut Mark Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA astronaut Joe Acaba answers an audience members question prior to a presentation, Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Acaba and astronaut Mark Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba speak about their experiences onboard the International Space Station during "What's New in Aerospace," Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
jsc2017e115136 (Sept. 7, 2017) --- At their Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, the Expedition 53-54 prime and backup crewmembers raise the flags of the United States, Russia and Kazakhstan Sept. 7 during traditional pre-launch ceremonies. Joe Acaba of NASA, Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos and Mark Vande Hei of NASA will launch Sept. 13 on the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft for a five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov
Girls in ceremonial Kazakh dress and Matryoshka Dolls depicting NASA astronaut Joe Acaba, left, Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, center, and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei are seen during a welcome ceremony Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 in the Zhezkazgan Airport, Kazakhstan. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei, right, answer questions from the audience after speaking about their time onboard the International Space Station, Friday, June 15, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
jsc2017e115134 (Sept. 7, 2017) --- In the Korolev Museum at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 53-54 crewmembers Joe Acaba of NASA (left), Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos (center) and Mark Vande Hei of NASA (right) display “launch keys” during a museum visit Sept. 7 as part of pre-launch activities. They will launch Sept. 13 on the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft for a five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov
jsc2017e114486 (Sept. 1, 2017) --- Expedition 53-54 crewmembers Joe Acaba of NASA (left), Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos (center) and Mark Vande Hei of NASA (right) pose for pictures in front of the Tsar Cannon in the Kremlin in Moscow Sept. 1 as part of traditional pre-launch ceremonies. They will launch Sept. 13 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Sept. 13 on the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft for a five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Elizabeth Weissinger
jsc2017e114488 (Sept. 1, 2017) --- Expedition 53-54 prime crewmember Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos (foreground) and his backup and fellow cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov lay flowers at the Kremlin Wall in Red Square in Moscow Sept. 1 as part of traditional pre-launch ceremonies. Misurkin and Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei of NASA will launch Sept. 13 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Sept. 13 on the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft for a five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Elizabeth Weissinger
NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei, right, answer questions from the audience after speaking about their time onboard the International Space Station, Friday, June 15, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, right, and Joe Acaba answer questions during a presentation to students at Walt Whitman Middle School, Thursday, June 14, 2018 in Alexandria, Va. Acaba and astronaut Mark Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
jsc2017e115135 (Sept. 7, 2017) --- In the Korolev Museum at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 53-54 crewmembers Joe Acaba of NASA (left), Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos (center) and Mark Vande Hei of NASA (right) pose for pictures during a museum visit Sept. 7 as part of pre-launch activities. They will launch Sept. 13 on the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft for a five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov
jsc2017e115132 (Sept. 7, 2017) --- In the Korolev Museum at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 53-54 crewmember Joe Acaba of NASA signs a wall mural Sept. 7 as part of traditional pre-launch activities. Acaba, Mark Vande Hei of NASA and Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos will launch Sept. 13 on the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft for a five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov
NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei is helped out of the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft just minutes after he, NASA astronaut Joe Acaba, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei speaks about his time onboard the International Space Station during a presentation to students at Walt Whitman Middle School, Thursday, June 14, 2018 in Alexandria, Va. Vande Hei and astronaut Joe Acaba answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA astronaut Joe Acaba speaks about his time onboard the International Space Station during a presentation to students at Walt Whitman Middle School, Thursday, June 14, 2018 in Alexandria, Va. Acaba and astronaut Mark Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
jsc2017e114749 (Sept. 6, 2017) --- Expedition 53-54 crewmembers Joe Acaba of NASA (left), Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos (center) and Mark Vande Hei of NASA (right) arrive at their launch site at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Sept. 6 after a flight from their training base in Star City, Russia for final pre-launch training. They will launch Sept. 13 on the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome for a five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov
jsc2017e114476 (Aug. 28, 2017) --- In the Integration Facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 53-54 crewmember Mark Vande Hei of NASA enters the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft during pre-launch training activities Aug. 28. Vande Hei, Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos and Joe Acaba of NASA will launch Sept. 13 on the Soyuz MS-06 for a five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center/Irina Peshkova
NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei, right, answer questions from the audience after speaking about their time onboard the International Space Station, Friday, June 15, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba speak about their experiences onboard the International Space Station during "What's New in Aerospace," Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin rests in a chair shortly after he, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, and NASA astronaut Joe Acaba landed in their Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
jsc2017e114494 (Sept. 1, 2017) --- Prime Expedition 53-54 crewmember and NASA astronaut Joe Acaba lays flowers at the Kremlin Wall in Moscow where Russian space icons are interred as part of traditional pre-launch ceremonies Sept. 1. Acaba, Mark Vande Hei of NASA and Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos will launch Sept. 13 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Sept. 13 on the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft for a five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Elizabeth Weissinger
jsc2017e114475 (Aug. 28, 2017) --- In the Integration Facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 53-54 crewmember Joe Acaba of NASA enters the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft during pre-launch training activities Aug. 28. Acaba, Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos and Mark Vande Hei of NASA will launch Sept. 13 on the Soyuz MS-06 for a five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center/Irina Peshkova
jsc2017e114495 (Sept. 1, 2017) --- Prime Expedition 53-54 crewmember and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei lays flowers at the Kremlin Wall in Moscow where Russian space icons are interred as part of traditional pre-launch ceremonies Sept. 1. Vande He, Joe Acaba of NASA and Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos will launch Sept. 13 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Sept. 13 on the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft for a five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Elizabeth Weissinger
NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei, right, speak about their time onboard the International Space Station, Friday, June 15, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
jsc2017e115137 (Sept. 7, 2017) --- At their Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 53-54 prime and backup crewmembers Joe Acaba of NASA (left) and Shannon Walker of NASA (right) raise the United States flag Sept. 7 during traditional pre-launch ceremonies. Acaba, Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos and Mark Vande Hei of NASA will launch Sept. 13 on the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft for a five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov
NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei is helped out of the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft just minutes after he, NASA astronaut Joe Acaba, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA astronaut Joe Acaba rests in a chair shortly after he, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin landed in their Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
jsc2017e114478 (Sept. 1, 2017) --- At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 53-54 crewmembers Mark Vande Hei of NASA (left) and Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos listen to reporters’ questions during a news conference Sept. 1. Vande Hei, Misurkin and Joe Acaba of NASA will launch Sept. 13 on the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a five and a half month mission aboard the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Elizabeth Weissinger
jsc2017e115138 (Sept. 7, 2017) --- At their Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 53-54 backup and prime crewmembers Scott Tingle of NASA (left) and Mark Vande Hei of NASA (right) raise the United States flag Sept. 7 during traditional pre-launch ceremonies. Vande Hei, Joe Acaba of NASa and Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos will launch Sept. 13 on the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft for a five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov
Matryoshka Dolls depicting NASA astronaut Joe Acaba, left, Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, center, and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei are seen during a welcome ceremony Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 in the Zhezkazgan Airport, Kazakhstan. Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
jsc2017e114480 (Sept. 1, 2017) --- At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 53-54 crewmember Mark Vande Hei of NASA answers a reporter’s question during a news conference Sept. 1. Vande Hei, Joe Acaba of NASA and Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos will launch Sept. 13 on the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a five and a half month mission aboard the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Elizabeth Weissinger
NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba speak about their experiences onboard the International Space Station during "What's New in Aerospace," Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei answers an audience members question during "What's New in Aerospace," Thursday, June 14, 2018 at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington. Vande Hei and astronaut Joe Acaba answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
jsc2017e115213 (Sept.. 8, 2017) --- At the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 53-54 crewmember Joe Acaba of NASA waters a tree bearing his name he previously planted in a traditional pre-launch ceremony Sept. 8. Acaba, Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos and Mark Vande Hei of NASA will launch Sept. 13 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft for a five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov
NASA astronaut Joe Acaba is carried to a medical tent shortly after he, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin landed in their Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 (February 27 Eastern time.) Acaba, Vande Hei, and Misurkin are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 53 and 54 crews onboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
NASA astronaut Joe Acaba listens to a question from a student during a presentation at Walt Whitman Middle School, Thursday, June 14, 2018 in Alexandria, Va. Acaba and astronaut Mark Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei, right, answer questions from the audience after speaking about their time onboard the International Space Station, Friday, June 15, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, left, and Joe Acaba answer questions during a presentation to students at Walt Whitman Middle School, Thursday, June 14, 2018 in Alexandria, Va. Acaba and astronaut Mark Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA astronaut Joe Acaba speaks about his time onboard the International Space Station, Friday, June 15, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Acaba and astronaut Mark Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
NASA astronauts Joe Acaba, left, and Mark Vande Hei, right, answer questions from the audience after speaking about their time onboard the International Space Station, Friday, June 15, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Acaba and Vande Hei answered questions from the audience and spoke about their experiences aboard the International Space Station for 168 days as part of Expedition 53 and 54. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)