Spacecraft Prepared for Launch to International Space Station

Workers at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan prepared the Soyuz spacecraft for launch on March 24. The Soyuz will launch three astronauts to the International Space Station on March 27 US time.

Soyuz Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Mikhail Kornienko of the Russian Federal Space Agency and NASA Flight Engineer Scott Kelly will be part of Expedition 43. Kelly and Kornienko will spend a year in space to research the effects of long-duration space travel on the human body. Credit: YouTube/NASA