Expedition 22 Soyuz Commander Oleg Kotov of Russia, bottom, NASA Flight Engineer Timothy J. Creamer of the U.S., center, and Flight Engineer Soichi Noguchi of Japan wave farewell from the bottom of the soyuz rocket at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Monday, Dec. 21, 2009. Kotov, Creamer and Noguchi launched in their Soyuz TMA-17 rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Dec. 21, 2009. (Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)