high res (1.0 M) low res (108 K)
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JSC2004-E-19833 (19 April 2004) --- Astronaut Edward M. (Mike) Fincke (left), NASA International Space Station (ISS) science officer and flight engineer, and cosmonaut Gennady I. Padalka (right), Russia’s Federal Space Agency Expedition 9 mission commander, check each other's Russian Sokol suits prior to departing for the launch pad. They, along with European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andre Kuipers (not shown) of the Netherlands, are scheduled to launch April 19, 2004, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the ISS for arrival on April 21. Padalka and Fincke will spend six months on the ISS, replacing the Expedition 8 crew, which has been aboard the Station since October 20, 2003. Kuipers, who is flying under a commercial contract between ESA and Russia’s Federal Space Agency, will return to Earth with the Expedition 8 crew on April 30, 2004. Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
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