Astronaut Training and Events

Various astronauts in training and preparation for space missions, wearing blue jumpsuits, engaging with media, and participating in rehearsals.

STS-132 TCDT - CREW M113 TRAINING

Expedition 60 backup crew members Sergey Ryzhikov of Roscosmos, left, and Thomas Marshburn of NASA, right, are seen in quarantine, behind glass, during a press conference, Friday, July 19, 2019 at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Expedition 60 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos, flight engineer Andrew Morgan of NASA, and flight engineer Luca Parmitano of ESA (European Space Agency) are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz MS-13 spacecraft at 12:28 p.m. Eastern time (9:28 p.m. Baikonur time) on Saturday, July 20.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After their arrival at NASAs Kennedy Space Center, the Return to Flight mission STS-114 crew talked briefly to media. At the microphone is Mission Specialist Stephen Robinson. Behind him (left to right) are Mission Specialist Andrew Thomas, Pilot James Kelly and Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi, who is with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA. Other crew members not pictured are Mission Commander Eileen Collins and Mission Specialists Charles Camarda and Wendy Lawrence. The crew arrived a day early due to weather concerns associated with Hurricane Dennis. This historic mission is the 114th Space Shuttle flight and the 17th U.S. flight to the International Space Station. STS-114 is scheduled to launch at 3 51 p.m. July 13 and last about 12 days with a planned KSC landing at about 11 01 a.m. EDT on July 25. On mission STS-114, the crew will perform inspections on orbit for the first time of all of the Reinforced Carbon-Carbon (RCC) panels on the lea

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In NASA Kennedy Space Centers Assembly and Refurbishment Facility, STS-114 Mission Specialist Stephen Robinson speaks to employees. At right is Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi. They and other crew members are visiting several sites during their return to Kennedy Space Center. They have returned to Florida especially for a celebration in the KSC Visitor Complex of the successful return to flight mission that launched July 26 of this year.

jsc2023e066240 (Oct. 15, 2023) --- NASA astronaut and SpaceX Crew-8 Pilot Michael Barratt participates in preflight mission training at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California.

JSC2001-E-05529 (28 February 2001) ---Astronaut Paul W. Richards, STS-102 mission specialist, responds to a news representative's question during a press briefing at the Johnson Space Center (JSC).

Expedition 60 flight engineer Luca Parmitano of ESA (European Space Agency) is introduced during a press conference, Friday, July 19, 2019 at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Expedition 60 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos, flight engineer Andrew Morgan of NASA, and flight engineer Luca Parmitano of ESA (European Space Agency) are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz MS-13 spacecraft at 12:28 p.m. Eastern time (9:28 p.m. Baikonur time) on Saturday, July 20.

Expedition 28 NASA Flight Engineer Mike Fossum speaks during a press conference, Monday, June 6, 2011, at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The mission is set to launch on Tuesday, June 8, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Expedition 68 Press Conference. Expedition 68 cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos is seen in quarantine, behind glass, during a press conference, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Prokopyev, Frank Rubio of NASA, and Dmitri Petelin of Roscosmos are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft on Sept. 21.

JSC2000-E-27051 (27 October 2000) --- Astronaut Brian Duffy, STS-92 commander, addresses crowd at Ellington Field during crew return ceremonies.

PHOTO DATE: 01-25-11LOCATION: Bldg 9NW, ISS MockupsSUBJECT: Expedition 28 crew member and JAXA astronaut Satoshi Furukawa during ISS EVA P/P 33105 training with STS-135 crew members

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-128 Pilot Kevin Ford waits his turn to answer questions from the media during a question-and-answer session near Launch Pad 39A. The crew is at Kennedy for a launch dress rehearsal called the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, which includes emergency exit training and equipment familiarization, as well as a simulated launch countdown. Discovery will deliver 33,000 pounds of equipment to the station, including science and storage racks, a freezer to store research samples, a new sleeping compartment and the COLBERT treadmill.

PHOTO DATE: 02-22-10LOCATION: Ellington, 990SUBJECT: STS-130 Crew Return, Ellington Field

Date: 09-23-14Location: Bldg 9NW, ISS AirlockSubject: Expedition 48 crew member (Soyuz 46) Jeff Williams during ISS EVA P/P 1 (PRESS w/cooling) training with CSA astronaut Saint Jacques and Expedition 47 crew member Tim Peake in Space Vehicle Mockup Training Facilities (SVMTF) ISS Airlock mockup with instructor Megan Murphey.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39, STS-123 Mission Specialist Rick Linnehan takes time out from driving practice of the M-113 armored personnel carrier to pose for a photo. The crew members of space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission will each practice driving the M-113 in turn as part of his training on emergency egress procedures. An M-113 will be available to transport the crew to safety in the event of a contingency on the pad before their launch. The STS-123 crew is at Kennedy for a full launch dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test or TCDT. Endeavour's seven astronauts arrived at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility in their T-38 training aircraft between 10:45 and 10:58 a.m. EST. The terminal countdown demonstration test provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. Endeavour

Expedition 22 Soyuz Commander Oleg Kotov listens to a reporter's question during a press conference held at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Saturday, Dec., 19, 2009. The launch of the Soyuz spacecraft with Expedition 22 NASA Flight Engineer Timothy J. Creamer of the U.S., Soyuz Commander Oleg Kotov of Russia and Flight Engineer Soichi Noguchi of Japan, is scheduled for Monday, Dec., 21, 2009 at 3:52a.m. Kazakhstan time.

JSC2000-E-23460 (21 September 2000) ---Cosmonaut Boris V. Morukov, STS-106 mission specialist representing the Russian Aviation and Space Agency,addresses the crowd that visited Ellington Field's Hangar 990 to welcome home the STS-106 astronauts. The seven-man crew landed approximately 24 hours earlier in Florida, wrapping up a 4.9 million-mile mission in which more than three tons of equipment were delivered to the international outpost.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-109 Mission Specialist Michael Massimino is ready to practice driving the M-113 armored personnel carrier, part of emergency egress training at the launch pad. Behind him is Commander Scott Altmann. Crew members are taking part in Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which also include a simulated launch countdown. STS-109 is a Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission, with goals to replace Solar Array 2 with Solar Array 3, replace the Power Control Unit, remove the Faint Object Camera and install the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), install the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) Cooling System, and install New Outer Blanket Layer insulation. The 11-day mission will require grasping the satellite with a robotic arm in order for the crew to perform the tasks during five spacewalks. Launch of STS-109 aboard Space Shuttle Columbia is scheduled for Feb. 28, 2002

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba answers questions at a behind-the-scenes NASA Social at NASA Headquarters on Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012 in Washington. Acaba launched to the International Space Station on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft May 15, 2012, spending 123 days aboard as a flight engineer of the Expedition 31 and 32 crews. He recently returned to Earth on Sept. 17 after four months in low earth orbit.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, STS-125 Mission Specialist John Grunsfeld takes hold of one of the cameras to be used on the mission. Behind him are Mission Specialists Mike Good (left) and Andrew Feustel (right). The crew is at Kennedy for a crew equipment interface test, which provides hands-on experience with hardware and equipment for the mission. Atlantis is targeted to launch on the STS-125 Hubble Servicing Mission 4 on Oct. 8.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-133 Pilot Eric Boe talks to media at Launch Pad 39A, where space shuttle Discovery is poised for launch next month. The six-member STS-133 crew is at Kennedy for the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT), which provides each shuttle crew and launch team an opportunity to participate in various simulated activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training at the launch pad.Discovery and its crew will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for Nov. 1 at 4:40 p.m.

NASA astronaut Josh Cassada will team with NASA astronaut Suni Williams on Boeings first operational mission to the International Space Station onboard the companys CST-100 Starliner spacecraft. They joined fellow commercial crew astronauts Eric Boe, Chris Ferguson, Nicole Mann, Bob Behnken, Victor Glover, Mike Hopkins and Doug Hurley for a celebration at Johnson Space Center in Houston on Aug. 3, 2018. Boe, Ferguson and Mann will fly on Starliner in Boeings Crew Flight Test to the space station. . Behnken and Hurley will fly on SpaceXs Crew Dragon in the companys Demo-2 flight test to the space station, while Glover and Hopkins are assigned to Crew Dragons first operational mission to station.

STS-130 TCDT MEDIA Q&A

PHOTO DATE: 01-22-14LOCATION: Bldg. 2N, Press Conf. Room SUBJECT: Expedition 40 (Soyuz 38) press conference with Steve Swanson

Expedition 58 backup crew member, Flight Engineer Andrew Morgan of NASA, is recognized during a press conference, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2018 at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for Dec. 3 and will carry Soyuz Commander Oleg Kononenko of Roscosmos, Flight Engineer Anne McClain of NASA, and Flight Engineer David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) into orbit to begin their six and a half month mission on the International Space Station.

PHOTO DATE: 01-08-09LOCATION: Bldg. 9NW - CCT II MockupSUBJECT: STS-128 crew during CCT BAILOUT with Expedition astronaut Nicole Stott.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-113 Pilot Paul Lockhart arrives at KSC for Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities, which include a simulated launch countdown. The primary payloads on mission STS-113 are the first port truss segment, P1, and the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) Cart B. Once delivered, the P1 truss will remain stowed until flight 12A.1 in 2003 when it will be attached to the central truss segment, S0, on the Space Station. Also onboard Space Shuttle Endeavour will be the Expedition 6 crew who will replace Expedition 5, returning to Earth after 4 months. The STS-113 launch is scheduled for Nov. 10, 2002. .

NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 Launch. Joe Acaba, Chief of the Astronaut Office, monitors the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft on the Crew-7 mission with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov onboard, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023, in the control room of SpaceXs HangerX at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 mission is the seventh crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agencys Commercial Crew Program. Moghbeli, Mogensen, Furukawa, and Borisov launched at 3:27 a.m. EDT, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

Expedition 10 Commander Leroy Chiao gives the thumbs up to the press from behind glass one day prior to the scheduled launch of the Soyuz TMA-5 spacecraft to the International Space Station, Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2004. The crew docked to the Station on October 16, and Chiao and Sharipov will replace the current Station crewmembers, Gennady Padalka and Mike Fincke, who will return to Earth October 24 with Shargin.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- Space shuttle Atlantis STS-122 Mission Specialist Leopold Eyharts, of the European Space Agency, talks to the media at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility following his arrival to participate in three days of terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, activities. Eyharts will remain on the International Space Station as a flight engineer for Expedition 16 following the STS-122 mission. The TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with equipment familiarization, emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. On mission STS-122, Atlantis will deliver the Columbus module to the International Space Station. The European Space Agency's largest single contribution to the station, Columbus is a multifunctional, pressurized laboratory that will be permanently attached to U.S. Node 2, called Harmony. The laboratory will expand the research facilities aboard the station, providing crew members and scientists from around the world th

Expedition 33 Flight Engineer Evgeny Tarelkin waves hello as he is introduced at the start of a press conference held at the Cosmonaut Hotel, on Monday, October 22, 2012, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for October 23 and will send Expedition 33/34 Flight Engineer Kevin Ford of NASA, Soyuz Commander Oleg Novitskiy and Flight Engineer Evgeny Tarelkin of ROSCOSMOS on a five-month mission aboard the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Discovery's STS-133 Commander Steve Lindsey arrives on the Shuttle Landing Facility runway aboard a T-38 training jet. In the days leading up to their launch to the International Space Station, Lindsey and his crew members will check the fit of their launch-and-entry suits, review launch-day procedures, receive weather briefings and remain medically quarantined to prevent sickness.Scheduled to lift off Nov. 1 at 4:40 p.m., Discovery and crew will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, to the orbiting outpost.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- At NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A, a mission specialist on space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission, Takao Doi of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, prepares to take questions from the media during a break from emergency egress training. The crew is at Kennedy for a full launch dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test or TCDT. The terminal countdown demonstration test provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. Endeavour is targeted to launch March 11 at 2:28 a.m. EDT on a 16-day mission to the International Space Station. On the mission, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed robotic system, Dextre.

NASA astronaut Victor Glover listens as Chirag Parikh from the National Space Council reads a letter from Vice President Kamala Harris to Glover during an educational event, Thursday, April 28, 2022, at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington. Glover most recently served as pilot and second-in-command on the Crew-1 SpaceX Crew Dragon, named Resilience, which landed after a long duration mission aboard the International Space Station, May 2, 2021.

Expedition 36/37 Soyuz Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) signs a hotel room door at the Cosmonaut Hotel, Tuesday, May 28, 2013, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Yurichikin and his fellow crew members, Flight Engineers; Karen Nyberg of NASA, and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency, were departing the hotel in preparation for their launch on a Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday May 29, Kazakh time.

NASA astronaut and U.S. Space Force Col. Mike Hopkins speaks with students from Wade Hampton High School in Greenville, S.C. during a video engagement at the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., April 14, 2022. The engagement was part of U.S. Space Forces STEM to Space outreach campaign, which encourages students to pursue science, technology, engineering and math education.

Expedition 28 NASA Flight Engineer Mike Fossum, speaks during a press conference, Monday, June 6, 2011, at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The mission is set to launch on Tuesday, June 8, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Vice President Mike Pence cuts a cake presented to him on his 58th birthday while touring the Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center, Wednesday, June 7, 2017 at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The Vice President was at the space center to welcome nhq201706070008 (06/07/2017) --- Americas newest astronaut candidates, chosen from more than 18,300 applicants to carry the torch for future human space exploration. After completing two years of training, the new astronaut candidates could be assigned to missions performing research on the International Space Station, launching from American soil on spacecraft built by commercial companies, and launching on deep space missions on NASAs new Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket.

The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex kicked off its "Summer of Mars" promotion with a ceremony which included former NASA astronaut Jon McBride, who serves as director of Astronaut Education Programs for the visitor complex. The "Summer of Mars" promotion is designed to provide guests with a better understanding of NASA's studies of the Red Planet.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-123 Mission Specialist Robert L. Behnken is shown in the pilot's seat of a T-38 training aircraft at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. The crew for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-123 mission is at Kennedy for a full launch dress rehearsal, known as the terminal countdown demonstration test or TCDT. Endeavour's seven astronauts arrived at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility in their T-38 training aircraft between 10:45 and 10:58 a.m. EST. The terminal countdown demonstration test provides astronauts and ground crews with an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. Endeavour is targeted to launch March 11 at 2:28 a.m. EDT on a 16-day mission to the International Space Station. On the mission, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the first section of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory and the Canadian Space Agency's two-armed

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The crew members of mission STS-120 arrive at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Shuttle Landing Facility aboard T-38 jet aircraft to take part in terminal countdown demonstration test activities. Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski, who will be making his fifth shuttle flight, waves to those on hand to greet him. The terminal countdown demonstration test provides astronauts and ground crews an opportunity to participate in various simulated countdown activities, including equipment familiarization and emergency training. The STS-120 mission will deliver the U.S. Node 2 module, named Harmony, aboard space shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station. Launch of Discovery on mission STS-120 is targeted for Oct. 23 at 11:38 a.m. EDT on a 14-day mission to the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Bob Behnken is seen during a NASA event where it was announced that he, and NASA astronaut Doug Hurley are assigned to SpaceXs Crew Dragon Demo-2 flight to the International Space Station, Friday, Aug. 3, 2018 at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Astronauts assigned to crew the first flight tests and missions of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon where announced during the event.

STS-88 Commander Robert D. Cabana smiles at onlookers after his arrival at the Shuttle Landing Facility aboard a T-38 jet aircraft. He joins other crew members Pilot Frederick W. "Rick" Sturckow and Mission Specialists Nancy J. Currie, Jerry L. Ross, James H. Newman and Sergei Konstantinovich Krikalev, a Russian cosmonaut, for prelaunch preparations for Mission STS-88 aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour. The scheduled time of launch is 3:56 a.m. EST on Dec. 3 from Launch Pad 39A. The mission is the first U.S. launch for the International Space Station. Endeavour carries the Unity connecting module which the crew will be mating with the Russian-built Zarya control module already in orbit. In addition to Unity, Endeavour will carry two small replacement electronics boxes for possible repairs to Zarya batteries. The mission is scheduled to last nearly 12 days

JSC2008-E-038909 (6 May 2008) --- Astronaut Greg Chamitoff, STS-124 mission specialist, takes a moment for a photo near a NASA T-38 trainer jet prior to a flight from Ellington Field near NASA's Johnson Space Center to Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Chamitoff is scheduled to join Expedition 17 as flight engineer after launching to the International Space Station on mission STS-124.

JSC2002-E-48262 (9 December 2002) --- Cosmonaut Sergei Y. Treschev of Rosaviakosmos, who just completed approximately six months of service as Expedition Five flight engineer, addresses a welcoming crowd on hand at Ellington Field's Hangar 990. The STS-113 and Expedition Five crews had landed a day earlier aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in Florida.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - In the Training Auditorium, astronaut Mike Foale speaks to the audience about his experiences aboard the International Space Station as commander of the Expedition 8 crew. Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri spent 194 days, 18 hours and 35 minutes in space, the second longest expedition to be completed aboard the Station. In February Foale and Kaleri conducted the first spacewalk ever performed from the complex by a two-person crew. Foale has accumulated more time in space than any U.S. astronaut, amassing a total of 374 days, 11 hours and 19 minutes in space from his Expedition 8 mission, a 1997 flight to the Russian Mir Space Station, and four Space Shuttle missions.

S99-05970 (7 June 1999) --- CosmonautValery I. Tokarev, mission specialist representing the Russian Space Agency (RSA), speaks to the crowd that turned out for STS-96 welcome home ceremonies at Ellington Field.

NASA astronaut Josh Cassada is seen during a NASA event where it was announced that he, and NASA astronaut Suni Williams are assigned to the first mission to the International Space Station onboard Boeings CST-100 Starliner, Friday, Aug. 3, 2018 at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Astronauts assigned to crew the first flight tests and missions of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon where announced during the event.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. -- In the slidewire basket bunker area of Launch Pad 39A, STS-118 Mission Specialist Alvin Drew waits to begin a media interview before the crew's morning training activities in the terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT. Those activities include M-113 training, payload familiarization, the emergency egress training at the pad and a simulated launch countdown. The mission is the 22nd flight to the International Space Station and Space Shuttle Endeavour will carry a payload including the S5 truss, a SPACEHAB module and external stowage platform 3. STS-118 is targeted for launch on Aug. 7.

JSC2002-E-25978 (21 June 2002) --- Astronaut Paul S. Lockhart, STS-111 pilot, speaks to a large crowdwho showed up at Ellington Field's Hangar 990 to welcome home the STS-111 and Expedition Four crew members.The four shuttle prime crew members returned to Earth earlier in the week after two weeks in space, but for the three station crew members, this was their first time in Houston since December of 2001, having spent well over six months in Earth orbit on board the International Space Station (ISS).

Expedition 38 Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, right, talks as Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, listens, from quarantine behind glass, during the final press conference held a day ahead of their launch with fellow crew mate, Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA, to the International Space Station, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013 at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

Expedition 58 Flight Engineer David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) poses for a photo after performing the traditional door signing at the Cosmonaut Hotel prior to departing the hotel for launch in a Soyuz rocket with fellow crewmates, Soyuz Commander Oleg Kononenko of Roscosmos, and Flight Engineer Anne McClain of NASA, Monday, Dec. 3, 2018, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for the same day and will carry Saint-Jacques, McClain, and Kononenko into orbit to begin their six and a half month mission on the International Space Station.

PHOTO DATE: 31 August 2011LOCATION: Bldg. 7, SSATA ChamberSUBJECT: Expedition 32 crew member and JAXA astronaut, Akihiko Hoshide in SSATA Chamber during Dry Run. STB-ST-942.

Expedition 19 Commander Gennady I. Padalka answers questions from behind glass during a press conference on Wednesday, March 25, 2009 at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

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.

jsc2019e013415 - At the Baikonur Cosmodrome Museum in Kazakhstan, Expedition 59 crewmember Nick Hague of NASA signs a wall mural bearing the names of those who have flown in space March 10 in traditional pre-launch activities. Hague, Christina Koch of NASA and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos will launch March 14, U.S. time, in the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station...NASA/Victor Zelentsov..

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-116 Pilot William Oelefein is in training at SPACEHAB, Port Canaveral, Fla., along with other crew members Commander Terrence Wilcutt and Mission Specialists Robert Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang. Objective of their mission to the International Space Station is to deliver and attach the third port truss segment, the P5 Truss, deactivate and retract the P6 Truss Channel 4B (port-side) solar array, and reconfigure station power from 2A and 4A solar arrays. A launch date is under review.

NASA astronaut candidate Raja Chari poses for a portrait, Friday, July 12, 2019 at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas.

Expedition 59 backup crewmember Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency answers questions during a press conference, Wednesday, March 13, 2019 at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Expedition 59 crewmembers Nick Hague and Christina Koch of NASA, along with Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos will launch March 14, U.S. time, on the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - STS-134 Mission Specialist Greg Chamitoff listens intently to instruction during M113 armored personnel carrier training at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. An M113 is kept at the foot of the launch pad in case an emergency exit from the pad is needed and every shuttle crew is trained on driving the vehicle before launch. Space shuttle Endeavour's six crew members are at Kennedy for the launch countdown dress rehearsal called the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) and related training. Targeted to launch April 19 at 7:48 p.m. EDT, they will deliver the Express Logistics Carrier-3, Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 (AMS), a high-pressure gas tank, additional spare parts for the Dextre robotic helper and micrometeoroid debris shields to the space station. This is the final scheduled spaceflight for Endeavour.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, STS-133 Commander Steve Lindsey prepares to practice driving an M-113 armored personnel carrier. Behind him are Mission Specialist Tim Kopra and Pilot Eric Boe. An M-113 is kept at the foot of the launch pad in case an emergency egress from the vicinity of the pad is needed, and training on the vehicle is part of the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT). TCDT provides each shuttle crew and launch team an opportunity to participate in various simulated activities, including equipment familiarization and a launch countdown.Space shuttle Discovery and its STS-133 crew will deliver the Permanent Multipurpose Module, packed with supplies and critical spare parts, as well as Robonaut 2, the dexterous humanoid astronaut helper, to the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for Nov. 1 at 4:40 p.m.

Artemis II Crew Media Availability. NASA astronaut Victor Glover gives remarksduring a media gather as NASA Administrator Bill Nelson looks on, Thursday, May 18, 2023, on Capitol Hill grounds in Washington. NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Hammock Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen who will fly around the Moon on NASAs Artemis II flight test visited Washington to discuss their upcoming mission with members of Congress and others.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Astronaut Lee Archambault, the commander for space shuttle Discovery's STS-119 mission, arrives at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida to prepare for launch. STS-119 is the 125th space shuttle flight and the 28th flight to the International Space Station. Discovery and its crew will deliver the final set of large power-generating solar array wings and integrated truss structure, S6, to the space station. The mission includes four spacewalks. Launch is scheduled for March 11 at 9:20 p.m. EDT.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-111 Mission Specialist Franklin Chang-Diaz poses for the camera before taking his turn at driving the M-113 armored personnel carrier during emergency egress training at the pad. Behind him (right) is Mission Specialist Philippe Perrin, with the French Space Agency. The training is part of Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test activities at KSC. The TCDT also includes a simulated launch countdown. Known as Utilization Flight -2, the mission includes attaching a Canadian-built mobile base system to the International Space Station that will enable the Canadarm2 robotic arm to move along a railway on the Station's truss to build and maintain the outpost. The crew will also replace a faulty wrist/roll joint on the Canadarm2 as well as unload almost three tons of experiments and supplies from the Italian-built Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo. Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour on mission STS-111 is scheduled for May 30, 2002

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - STS-129 Mission Specialist Leland Melvin greets Commander Charles O. Hobaugh upon their arrival at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The six astronauts for space shuttle Atlantis STS-129 mission are at Kennedy for their launch dress rehearsal, the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test.Additional training associated with the test was done last month, but the simulated countdown was postponed because of a scheduling conflict with the launch of NASAs Ares I-X test rocket. Launch of Atlantis on its STS-129 mission to the International Space Station is set for Nov. 16. On STS-129, the crew will deliver to the station two spare gyroscopes, two nitrogen tank assemblies, two pump modules, an ammonia tank assembly and a spare latching end effector for the station's robotic arm.

S134-E-009235 (18 May 2011) --- NASA astronaut Michael Fincke, STS-134 mission specialist, is pictured on the aft flight deck of space shuttle Endeavour during rendezvous and docking operations with the International Space Station on flight day three.

Expedition 38 Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA talks, while in quarantine behind glass, during the final press conference held a day ahead of his launch with fellow crew mates, Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and, Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, to the International Space Station, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2013 at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. An Olympic torch that will be launched with the crew for a four-day visit to the station is seen next to Mastracchio. The torch will return to Earth with another trio of station residents on Nov. 11 and will be part of the torch relay that ends with the lighting of the flame at the Fisht Stadium in Sochi, Russia Feb. 7 to mark the opening of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 Employee Engagement Event. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata answers questions during an employee engagement event Monday, June 5, 2023, at the Mary W. Jackson NASA Headquarters building in Washington. Mann, Cassada, and Wakata spent 157 days in space as part of Expedition 68 aboard the International Space Station.

NASAs SpaceX Crew-7 Postlaunch News Conference. Steve Stich, manager of NASAs Commercial Crew Program, participates in a Crew-7 postlaunch news conference at the agencys Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2023. Crew-7 crew members NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov launched aboard SpaceXs Dragon spacecraft from Kennedy at 3:27 a.m. EDT. They will dock to the orbiting laboratory at about 8:40 a.m. EDT Sunday, Aug. 27.

Expedition 36 Flight Engineer Chris Cassidy waves hello after he and, Commander Pavel Vinogradov of Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), and Flight Engineer Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos landed their Soyuz TMA-08M spacecraft in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013. Vinogradov, Misurkin and Cassidy returned to Earth after five and a half months on the International Space Station.

Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson is seen during a NASA event where it was announced that he, NASA astronaut Eric Boe, and NASA astronaut Nicole Mann are assigned to the Boeing CST-100 Starliner Crew Test Flight to the International Space Station, Friday, Aug. 3, 2018 at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Astronauts assigned to crew the first flight tests and missions of the Boeing CST- 100 Starliner and SpaceX Crew Dragon were announced during the event.

13-02-48-2:In the Baikonur Cosmodrome Museum in Kazakhstan, Expedition 39/40 Flight Engineer Steve Swanson of NASA signs a wall mural March 21 to honor a tradition as he and his crewmates prepare for launch to the International Space Station. Swanson, Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov of Roscosmos and Flight Engineer Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos are wrapping up training for their launch to the station March 26, Kazakh time, on the Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft for a six-month mission on the orbital laboratory.NASA/Victor Zelentsov

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - After arriving at Kennedy Space Centers Shuttle Landing Facility, STS-114 Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi talks to the media. Noguchi is with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. He and other crew members are taking part in the Terminal Countdown Demonstration Test (TCDT) over the next three days. The TCDT is held at KSC prior to each Space Shuttle flight. It provides the crew of each mission an opportunity to participate in simulated countdown activities. The test ends with a mock launch countdown culminating in a simulated main engine cutoff. The crew also spends time undergoing emergency egress training exercises at the launch pad. This is Noguchis first space flight. STS-114 is the first Return to Flight mission to the International Space Station. The launch window extends July 13 through July 31.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- STS-112 Mission Specialist Fyodor Yurchikhin, who represents the Russian Space Agency, smiles at a question posed during the crew's post-landing briefing for the media. Mission STS-112 was the 15th assembly flight to the International Space Station, installing the S1 truss. The landing was the 60th at KSC in the history of the Shuttle program.

NASA Astronaut Mike Hopkins explains what it was like to live on the International Space Station for 6 months to seventh graders from Clear Spring Middle School at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore, MD on Monday, June 9, 2014. Hopkins served on Expeditions 37 and 38 with Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy and returned home in March, 2014. (

Expedition 31 Soyuz Commander Gennady Padalka smiles after having his Russian Sokol suit pressure checked in preparation for his launch onboard the Soyuz TMA-04M on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz spacecraft with Padalka, Flight Engineer Sergei Revin, and Expedition 31 Flight Engineer Joe Acaba onboard, launched at 9:01 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Tuesday, May 15.

PHOTO DATE: 7-13-10LOCATION:Bldg. 2N, Press Conf. RoomSUBJECT: Expedition 25 press conference with NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and his crewmates, Russian cosmonauts Alexander Kaleri and Oleg Skripochka

STS-95 Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., senator from Ohio, talks to the media after the crew's arrival at the Shuttle Landing Facility to make final preparations for their launch. Targeted for liftoff at 2 p.m. on Oct. 29, the STS-95 mission includes research payloads such as the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process. The mission is expected to last 8 days, 21 hours and 49 minutes, and return to KSC on Nov. 7

13-47-46-2:At the Korolev Museum at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 38/39 Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA signs a wall mural of a Soyuz rocket launch during traditional pre-flight activities Nov. 3. Mastracchio, Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin and Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will launch Nov. 7, Kazakh time, on the Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft for a six-month mission on the International Space Station.NASA/Victor Zelentsov

JSC2002-E-14073 (20 April 2002) --- Astronaut Rex J. Walheim, STS-110 mission specialist, speaks from the lectern in Hangar 990 at Ellington Field during the crew return ceremonies.

Former NASA astronaut Frank Culbertson, speaks about his time in space at a STEM day session with students during the 70th International Astronautical Congress, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019, in Washington.

NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold answers questions from the audience about his time onboard the International Space Station (ISS) during a Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum production of Stem in 30, Friday, May 3, 2019 at Six Flags America theme park in Upper Marlboro, MD. During Expedition 55/56, Arnold completed three spacewalks for a total of 19.5 hours outside the space station, and concluded his 197 day mission when he landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan in Oct. 2018. He also flew to the space station on shuttle mission STS-119 to deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - STS-107 Payload Commander Michael Anderson comments about the mission after the crew's arrival at KSC for pre-launch preparations. STS-107 is a mission devoted to research and will include more than 80 experiments that will study Earth and space science, advanced technology development, and astronaut health and safety. The payload on Space Shuttle Columbia includes FREESTAR (Fast Reaction Experiments Enabling Science, Technology, Applications and Research) and the SHI Research Double Module (SHI/RDM), known as SPACEHAB. Experiments on the module range from material sciences to life sciences. Launch of Columbia is targeted for Jan. 16 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

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.

Expedition 70 Press Conference. Expedition 70 cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko is seen in quarantine behind glass during a press conference, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023 at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Expedition 70 NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara, Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko, and Nikolai Chub are scheduled to launch aboard their Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft on Sept. 15.

NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold speaks about his time onboard the International Space Station (ISS) during Expeditions 55 and 56, Friday, May 3, 2019 at the Challenger Center in Lanham, MD. During Expedition 55/56, Arnold completed three spacewalks for a total of 19.5 hours outside the space station, and concluded his 197 day mission when he landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan in Oct. 2018. He also flew to the space station on shuttle mission STS-119 to deliver the final pair of power-generating solar array wings.

Expedition 38 Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA, performs the traditional door signing at the Cosmonaut hotel prior to departing the hotel for launch in a Soyuz rocket with fellow crew mates, Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, and, Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Tyurin, Wakata, and, Mastracchio will launch in their Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft to the International Space Station to begin a six-month mission.

Astronaut Marcos Pontes, Brazilian Space Agency Soyuz crew member who will spend 10 days aboard the International Space Station under an agreement with the Russian Federal Space Agency, talks with members of the media after a final Soyuz check at building 254 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Sunday, March 26, 2006.

JSC2006-E-28439 (18 July 2006) --- Flight director Tony Ceccacci speaks from a lectern in Ellington Field's Hangar 276 near Johnson Space Center during the STS-121 crew return ceremonies. Astronaut Steven W. Lindsey, STS-121 commander, is at left.

Quarantined Expedition 32 Canadian backup crewmember Chris Hadfield answers reporters questions from behind glass during a prelaunch press conference held at the Cosmonaut Hotel on Friday, July 13, 2012 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

Expedition 37 Crew News Conference (Oleg Kotov, Sergey Ryazansky, Michael Hopkins). Photo Date: July 17, 2013. Location: Building 2N - Press Conference Room.

jsc2017e137337 - At the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, Expedition 54-55 prime crewmember Scott Tingle of NASA plays a game of chess Dec. 11 during a break in his pre-launch training. Tingle, Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) will launch Dec. 17 on the Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome for a five month mission on the International Space Station...Andrey Shelepin / Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.

Expedition 51 Soyuz Commander Fyodor Yurchikhin of Roscosmos reacts after answering a question during a pre-launch press conference on Wednesday, April 19, 2017 at the Cosmonaut Hotel in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for April 20 and will carry Yurchikhin and Flight Engineer Jack Fischer of NASA into orbit to begin their four and a half month mission on the International Space Station.

Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana speaks to center employees and guests before the KSC Walk Run on the Shuttle Landing Facility runway. The annual event, part of Kennedys Safety and Health Days, offers 10K, 5K and 2-mile options in the spirit of friendly competition.

PHOTO DATE:04-23-09LOCATION: PRESS BRIEFING ROOMSUBJECT: Photographic coverage of STS-125 Press Conference

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- After returning from a nearly four-month stay on the International Space Station, astronaut Dan Tani rests in the crew quarters at the Operations and Checkout Building. Tani returned with the STS-122 crew on space shuttle Atlantis with a landing at 9:07 a.m. EST on Runway 15 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center after a round trip of nearly 5.3 million miles.

jsc2017e138129 - At the Korolev Museum at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 54-55 prime crewmember Scott Tingle of NASA signs a wall mural Dec. 13 as part of traditional pre-launch ceremonies. Tingle, Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will launch Dec. 17 on the Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft for a five month mission on the International Space Station...Andrey Shelepin/Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.

JSC2001-E-04809 (21 February 2001) --- Astronaut Robert L. Curbeam, mission specialist, speaks to a crowd at the welcome home ceremony for the five STS-98 crew members.

JSC2002-E-43941 (28 October 2002) --- Astronaut Donald R. Pettit, Expedition Six flight engineer, responds to a query during a joint shuttle-station pre-flight press conference at the Johnson Space Center (JSC).

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory InSight project manager Tom Hoffman gives remarks during a NASA InSight Mars Lander (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) media briefing, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018 at NASA Headquarters in Washington. InSIght will land on the Red Planet at approximately 3 p.m. EST (noon PST) Monday, Nov. 26. InSight will study the deep interior of Mars to learn how all celestial bodies with rocky surfaces, including Earth and the Moon, formed. The landers instruments include a seismometer to detect marsquakes and a probe to monitor the flow of heat in the planet's subsurface.

NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore delivers the keynote address at The Space Shuttle Columbia National Tour town hall Nov. 5 at Marshall.

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