Expedition 23 preflight

The launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan is illuminated at sunrise in the Central Asian desert as it awaits the arrival of the Soyuz TMA-18 vehicle March 31, 2010 which was transported from its assembly hangar to the pad by railcar at dawn. Expedition 23 crewmates Alexander Skvortsov, Mikhail Kornienko and Tracy Caldwell Dyson will launch from Baikonur April 2 en route to the International Space Station.

The launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan is illuminated at sunrise in the Central Asian desert as it awaits the arrival of the Soyuz TMA-18 vehicle March 31, 2010 which was transported from its assembly hangar to the pad by railcar at dawn. Expedition 23 crewmates Alexander Skvortsov, Mikhail Kornienko and Tracy Caldwell Dyson will launch from Baikonur April 2 en route to the International Space Station.