Astronaut Suit Preparations

Images of astronauts in training, focusing on the pressure checks of Russian Sokol suits at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, showcasing a blend of anticipation and professionalism.

iss055e071274 (May 16, 2018) --- Astronaut Ricky Arnold takes an out-of-this-world selfie, or "space-selfie," during a spacewalk on May 16 to swap thermal control gear.

Expedition 57 Flight Engineer Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos gives a thumbs up after having his Sokol suit pressure checked ahead of his launch on a Soyuz rocket with Flight Engineer Nick Hague of NASA, Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. During the Soyuz spacecraft's climb to orbit, an anomaly occurred, resulting in an abort downrange. The crew was quickly recovered and is in good condition.

JAXA (Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut and Expedition 28 Flight Engineer Satoshi Furukawa has his Russian Sokol suit pressure checked in preparation for his launch to the International Space Station, Tuesday, June 7, 2011 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz spacecraft will launch the following morning on June 8 carrying Expedition 28 Soyuz Commander Sergei Volkov, NASA Flight Engineer Mike Fossum and Furukawa.

Expedition 69 Soyuz Landing. Expedition 69 Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev is seen outside the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft after he landed with Roscosmos cosmonaut Dmitri Petelin and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. The trio are returning to Earth after logging 371 days in space as members of Expeditions 68-69 aboard the International Space Station. For Rubio, his mission is the longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut in history.

JSC2011-E-029115 (25 March 2011) --- NASA astronaut Greg Chamitoff, STS-134 mission specialist, attired in a training version of his Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit, awaits the start of a spacewalk training session in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA's Johnson Space Center.

ISS003-E-8393 (8 December 2001) --- Astronaut Daniel W. Bursch, Expedition Four flight engineer, wearing a Russian Sokol suit, is photographed in the functional cargo block (FGB), or Zarya on the International Space Station (ISS). The image was taken with a digital still camera.

Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev checks his gear prior to launch aboard the Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Friday, April 15, 2005, for a two-day trip to the International Space Station.

Date: 07-14-14Location: Bldg 7, SSATASubject: SSATA Crew Training for Increment-41 ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti

At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 59 crewmember Christina Koch of NASA undergoes a Sokol launch suit pressure check Feb. 27 during pre-launch training. Koch, Nick Hague of NASA and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos will launch March 14, U.S. time, on the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station.NASA/Victor Zelentsov

NASA astronaut Scott Tingle is carried to a medical tent by NASA astronaut and Astronaut Office Representative Kjell Lindgren, left, and NASA Public Affairs Officer Gary Jordan, right, shortly after he, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Norishige Kanai, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov landed in their Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Sunday, June 3, 2018. Shkaplerov, Tingle, and Kanai are returning after 168 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 54 and 55 crews onboard the International Space Station.

jsc2017e135210 - At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 54-55 prime crewmember Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) waves to reporters as he boards a Soyuz spacecraft simulator Nov. 29 as part of the crews final qualification exam activities. Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) is seen in the foreground. They will launch along with Scott Tingle of NASA Dec. 17 on the Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a five-month mission on the International Space Station...NASA/Elizabeth Weissinger.

Expedition 54 flight engineer Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) waves as he waits to have his Russian Sokol suit pressure checked in preparation for launch aboard the Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket will send Tingle and fellow crewmates Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos and flight engineer Scott Tingle of NASA on a five month mission aboard the International Space Station.

jsc2020e017088 - Expedition 63 Preflight - Expedition 63 crewmember Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos has his Sokol suit pressure checked ahead of his launch on a Soyuz rocket with Ivan Vagner of Roscosmos, and Chris Cassidy of NASA, Thursday, April 9, 2020 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. A few hours later, they lifted off for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Operations and Checkout Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-128 crew members put on their launch-and-entry suits before heading to the Astrovan for the 3.4-mile drive to Launch Pad 39A. There, crew members will complete their suit-up and enter space shuttle Discovery for the 11:59 p.m. EDT liftoff. Seen here is Mission Specialist Jose Hernandez getting his helmet communication system connected. The first launch attempt on Aug. 24 was postponed due to unfavorable weather conditions. The second attempt on Aug. 25 also was postponed due to an issue with a valve in space shuttle Discovery's main propulsion system. The 13-day mission will deliver more than 7 tons of supplies, science racks and equipment, as well as additional environmental hardware to sustain six crew members on the International Space Station. The equipment includes a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill. The mission is

Engineer Shannon Walker out of the Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft shortly after the capsule landed with her, Expedition 25 Commander Doug Wheelock and Flight Engineer Fyodor Yurchikhin near Arkalyk, Kazakhstan on Friday, Nov. 26, 2010. Russian Cosmonaut Yurchikhin and NASA Astronauts Wheelock and Walker, are returning from nearly six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 24 and 25 crews.

American spaceflight participant Anousheh Ansari gives a thumbs up as she prepares for pressure checks on her Russian Sokol suit at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Monday, Sept. 18, 2006, in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz TMA-9 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 10:09 a.m. local time carrying Expedition 14 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria, Soyuz Commander and Expedition 14 Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin and American spaceflight participant Anousheh Ansari, who will spend nine days on the International Space Station under a commercial agreement with the Russian Federal Space Agency.

jsc2017e134966 - At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 54-55 backup crewmember Jeanette Epps of NASA signs in for the crews final qualification exam Nov. 28. Epps, Sergey Prokopyev of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos, center) and Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency (right) are serving as backups to the prime crew, Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos, Scott Tingle of NASA and Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), who will launch Dec. 17 on their Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft for a five-month mission on the International Space Station...NASA/Elizabeth Weissinger

NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik is helped out of the Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft just minutes after he, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Paolo Nespoli, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Ryazanskiy, landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2017. Bresnik, Nespoli and Ryazanskiy are returning after 139 days in space where they served as members of the Expedition 52 and 53 crews onboard the International Space Station.

In the Integration Building at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 38/39 Flight Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency conducts a leak check of his Russian Sokol launch and entry suit during a fit check dress rehearsal October 28. Wakata, Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA and Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin will launch Nov. 7, Kazakh time, in the Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft from Baikonur to begin a six-month mission on the International Space Station.NASA/Victor Zelentsov

At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 39/40 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos studies a flight plan March 5 as he and his crewmates, NASA Flight Engineer Steve Swanson and Flight Engineer Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos conducted final qualification exams. They are preparing for their launch to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Star City, Russia March 26, Kazakh time, on the Soyuz TMA-12M spacecraft for a six-month mission.NASA/Stephanie Stoll

In the Integration Facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 35-36 Flight Engineer Chris Cassidy of NASA is all business as he conducts a leak check of his Russian Sokol launch and entry suit March 17 during a systems dress rehearsal called a fit check” Cassidy, Soyuz Commander Pavel Vinogradov and Flight Engineer Alexander Misurkin are preparing for launch to the International Space Station from Baikonur on March 29, Kazakh time.NASA/Victor Zelentsov

Expedition 8 Commander and NASA Science Officer Michael Foale completes suiting up at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2003, prior to departing for the launch pad with Expedition 8 Soyuz Commander Alexander Kaleri and European Space Agency astronaut Pedro Duque of Spain. The trio were launched on the Soyuz TMA-3 vehicle to the International Space Station, arriving on Oct. 20.

PHOTO DATE(S): 08/27/09 (Satcher) @ 0900LOCATION: Bldg 7/SSATA ChamberSUBJECT: SSATA Crew Training and EMU Verification for STS-129 crew member Robert Satcher during suited dry run. Test Director: Cristina Anchondo.

Date: 12-10-13Location: Bldg7, SSATASubject: SSATA EMU crew training and certification for Expedition 40/41 ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst - DRY RUN

Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka, second from top, Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer Mike Fincke, second from bottom, and European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers of the Netherlands bid farewell as they prepare to board the Soyuz TMA-4 vehicle on Monday, April 19, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan prior to their launch to the International Space Station.

Expedition 24 NASA Flight Engineer Shannon Walker has her Russian Sokol suit prepared for launch by technicians at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Tuesday, June 15, 2010. Walker, Soyuz Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Doug Wheelock launched in their Soyuz TMA-19 rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, June 16, 2010. (

jsc2018e026642_alt (April 30, 2019) --- NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan poses in a U.S. spacesuit, also known as an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU).

Expedition 66 NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei is helped out of the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft just minutes after he and Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov, landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, March 30, 2022. Vande Hei and Dubrov are returning to Earth after logging 355 days in space as members of Expeditions 64-66 aboard the International Space Station. For Vande Hei, his mission is the longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut in history. Shkaplerov is returning after 176 days in space, serving as a Flight Engineer for Expedition 65 and commander of Expedition 66.

(20 June 2012) --- Expedition 32/33 NASA Flight Engineer Sunita Williams answers questions from the media at a Soyuz vehicle mock-up before a final qualification test June 20, 2012 at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. Williams, along with Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency Flight Engineer Aki Hoshide (not shown), are scheduled to launch July 15 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in their Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft to the International Space Station.

STS-134 payload egress training in building 9NW's FFT mockup. Photo Date: February 3, 2010. Location: Building 9NW - FFT.

STS-130 crew members George Zamka, Steve Robinson helping Robert Behnken and Nick Patrick getting suited and ready for NBL STS-120 20A EVA2 training. Photo Date: July 17, 2009. Location: NBL - Pool Topside.

PHOTO DATE: 01-30-17LOCATION: Discovery Green - Houston, TXSUBJECT: NASA/Industry VIP Preview and Media Day of Future Flight at Discovery Green.

Expedition 24 NASA Flight Engineer Shannon Walker, top, Expedition 24 NASA Flight Engineer Doug Wheelock, center, and Expedition 24 Soyuz Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin prepare to board their Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, June 16, 2010. Walker, Wheelock and Yurchikhin launched in their Soyuz TMA-19 rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at 3:35 a.m.

Attired in a training version of the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) space suit, astronaut and mission specialist Kalpana Chawla, prepares to go underwater in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near Johnson Space Center. This particular training was in preparation for the STS-87 mission. The Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-87) was the fourth flight of the United States Microgravity Payload (USMP-4) and Spartan-201 satellite, both managed by scientists and engineers from the Marshall Space Flight Center.

Astronaut Edward T. Lu, Expedition 7 NASA International Space Station Science Officer and Flight Engineer, has a leak check performed on his Russian Sokol suit in the Soyuz Integration Facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Thursday, April 10, 2003.

JSC2010-E-025679 (23 Feb. 2010) --- NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, STS-134 commander, dons a training version of his shuttle launch and entry suit in preparation for a water survival training session in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA's Johnson Space Center. United Space Alliance suit technician Raymond Cuevas assisted Kelly.

jsc2017e096659 (July 17, 2017) --- In the Integration Facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 52-53 crewmember Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency suits up in his Russian Sokol launch and entry suit during a fit check dress rehearsal July 17. Nespoli, Randy Bresnik of NASA and Sergey Ryazanskiy of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) will launch July 28 on the Soyuz MS-05 spacecraft for a five-month mission on the International Space Station.

PHOTO DATE: 09-26-08LOCATION: SCTF, NBLSUBJECT: Photographic support for Media Services: STS-125 crew training. Photograph astronauts Grunsfeld and Feustel prepping for dive and working together for final EVA3 training run in the NBL.

jsc2019e035256 - At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 60 backup crewmembers Soichi Noguchi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (left), Sergey Ryzhikov of Roscosmos (center) and Tom Marshburn of NASA (right) pose for pictures June 26 during their final qualification exams. They are the backups to the prime crew, Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos, Drew Morgan of NASA and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency, who will launch July 20 on the Soyuz MS-13 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a mission on the International Space Station...NASA/Beth Weissinger.

Expedition 36 Soyuz Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin is seen talking to family members after donning his Russian Sokol suit in preparation for his launch aboard the Soyuz rocket, Tuesday, May 28, 2013, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket will send Yurchikhin, Flight Engineer Karen Nyberg and European Space Agency Flight Engineer Luca Parmitano on a five and a half-month mission aboard the International Space Station.

Expedition 10 Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Salizhan Sharipov donned his launch and entry suit and climbed aboard the Soyuz TMA-5 spacecraft Friday, October 5, 2004 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a dress rehearsal of launch day activities leading to their liftoff October 14 to the International Space Station. Chiao and Sharipov, the first crew of all-Asian extraction, will spend six months on the Station. Shargin will return to Earth October 24 with the Stations' current residents, Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka and NASA Flight Engineer and Science Officer Mike Fincke.

Expedition 43 Russian Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) waves farewell to family and friends as he and fellow crew members NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly, and Russian Cosmonaut Gennady Padalka depart building 254 for their launch onboard the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft to the International Space Station Friday, March 27, 2015 in Baikonor, Kazakhstan. Kelly, Padalka, and Kornienko launched to the ISS from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan March 28, Kazakh time (March 27 Eastern time.) As the one-year crew, Kelly and Kornienko will return to Earth on Soyuz TMA-18M in March 2016.

PHOTO DATE: 11-19-09LOCATION: Bldg 9NW, CCT-IISUBJECT: STS-130 crew with training teams & ASC/CAP/DES 91020 training in CCT-II

Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA) waits for a pressure check of her Sokol suit in Building 254 following her suit up for launch, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for the early hours of Nov. 24 and will carry Cristoforetti and fellow crewmates, Flight Engineer Terry Virts of NASA and Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) into orbit to begin their five and a half month mission on the International Space Station.

Perseid Meteor flight on Google's Gulfstream Aircraft. P.I. Peter Jenniskens, SETI Group with Rick Conrey, NASA Ames, Exploration Academy

STS-129 Water Survival Training at the NBL. Photo Date: March 30, 2009. Location: NBL - Pool Topside.

nhq201611170001 (Nov. 17, 2016) --- Expedition 50 crewmembers ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, top, NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, middle, and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos wave farewell before boarding their Soyuz MS-03 spacecraft for launch Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016, (Kazakh Time) in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The trio will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan the morning of November 18 (Kazakh time.) All three will spend approximately six months on the orbital complex.

Expedition 60 flight engineer Andrew Morgan of NASA, is escorted by NASA International Space Station Program Manager Kirk Shireman as he prepares to board the Soyuz MS-13 spacecraft for launch, Saturday, July 20, 2019 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Morgan, Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos, and Luca Parmitano of ESA (European Space Agency) launched aboard the Soyuz MS-13 spacecraft at 12:28 p.m. Eastern time (9:28 p.m. Baikonur time) on July 20 to begin their journey to the International Space Station.

Expedition 30 flight engineer Anton Shkaplerov rests outside the Soyuz TMA-22 Capsule just minutes after he and Expedition 30 Commander Dan Burbank and flight engineer Anatoly Ivanishin landed in a remote area outside of the town of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, on Friday, April 27, 2012. Shkaplerov, Burbank, and Ivanishin are returning from more than five months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 29 and 30 crews.

Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos rests in a chair outside the Soyuz Capsule just minutes after he and 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 near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, May 14, 2014. 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.

Expedition 35 NASA Flight Engineer Tom Marshburn, center, is attended to by his nurse and crew support personnel following his landing in the Soyuz TMA-07M spacecraft in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Tuesday, May 14, 2013. Marshburn and crew mates Expedition 35 Commander Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and Russian Flight Engineer Roman Romanenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) returned to earth from more than five months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 34 and 35 crews.

April 10, 2003. Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. Building 254, Soyuz Integration Facility. Cosmonaut Yuri I. Malenchenko, Expedition Seven commander dons his Russian Sokol suit for the leak check and Soyuz inspection, seat liner check.

Perseid Meteor flight on Google's Gulfstream Aircraft. P.I. Peter Jenniskens, SETI Group with C.C. Crawford, Meteor Society, CA

JSC2013-E-059969 (3 June 2013) --- Official portrait of European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst in an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit.

In the Integration Building at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, spaceflight participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori of the United Arab Emirates suits up Sept. 11 for a fit check aboard the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft. Almansoori, Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos and Jessica Meir of NASA will launch Sept. 25 on the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome for a mission on the International Space Station.NASA/Victor Zelentsov

jsc2019e051853 - At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, spaceflight participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori of the United Arab Emirates listens to a reporters question during final crew qualification exams Aug. 30. Almansoori will launch with Expedition 61 crewmembers Jessica Meir of NASA and Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos Sept. 25 on the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a mission on the International Space Station...NASA/Beth Weissinger.

Spaceflight participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori of the United Arab Emirates waits to have his Sokol suit pressure checked a few hours ahead of his launch on a Soyuz rocket with Expedition 61 crewmembers Jessica Meir of NASA and Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Meir, Skripochka, and Almansoori will launch on the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome to the International Space Station.

Expedition 35 NASA Flight Engineer Chris Cassidy has his Russian Sokol suit pressure checked ahead of his launch onboard a Soyuz TMA-08M spacecraft to the International Space Station, Thursday, March 28, 2013, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket will send Cassidy, Soyuz Commander Pavel Vinogradov and Russian Flight Engineer Alexander Misurkin on a five and a half-month mission aboard the International Space Station.

jsc2020e017075 - Expedition 63 Preflight - Expedition 63 crewmember Anatoly Ivanishin of Roscosmos dons his Sokol suit a few hours ahead of his launch on a Soyuz rocket with Ivan Vagner of Roscosmos, and Chris Cassidy of NASA, Thursday, April 9, 2020 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. A few hours later, they lifted off for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station.

Expedition 61 cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos and Jessica Meir of NASA are seen during a press conference, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2019 at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Meir, Skripochka, and Almansoori will launch September 25th on the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome to the International Space Station.

Expedition 31 Commander Oleg Kononenko of Russia is monitored by medical support personal after he and Flight Engineers Don Pettit of NASA and Andre Kuipers of the European Space Agency landed in their Soyuz TMA-03M capsule in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on Sunday, July 1, 2012. Pettit, Kononenko and Kuipers returned from more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 30 and 31 crews.

jsc2017e134970 - At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 54-55 backup crewmember Jeanette Epps of NASA boards a Soyuz trainer Nov. 28 as part of her final qualification exam activities. Epps, Sergey Prokopyev of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency are serving as backups to the prime crew, Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos, Scott Tingle of NASA and Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), who will launch Dec. 17 on their Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft for a five-month mission on the International Space Station...NASA/Elizabeth Weissinger.

jsc2019e051817 - At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, backup spaceflight participant Sultan Al-Neyadi of the United Arab Emirates listens to a reporters question Aug. 29 during the crews qualification exams. Al-Neyadi is one of the backups to the prime crew, spaceflight participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori of the United Arab Emirates and Expedition 61 crewmembers Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos and Jessica Meir of NASA, who will launch Sept. 25 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft for a mission on the International Space Station...NASA/Beth Weissinger.

jsc2019e043005 (June 7, 2019) --- Roscosmos spaceflight participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori of the United Arab Emirates poses for a portrait at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia.

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