JSC2013-E-090729 (22 Oct. 2013) — At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, the Expedition 38/39 prime and backup crew members pose for pictures in front of the statue of Yuri Gagarin, the first human to fly in space, Oct. 22, 2013 following a news conference and traditional ceremonies. Front left to right are prime crew members — Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin and Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA — and backup crew members Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency, Max Suraev of Russia’s Federal Space Agency and NASA’s Reid Wiseman. Wakata, Tyurin and Mastracchio are scheduled to launch Nov. 7, Kazakh time, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft for the start of a six-month mission on the International Space Station. Photo credit: NASA
