A Russian Soyuz rocket is readying for a late-Sunday blastoff, in a mission that will take one American NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts and on a delayed trip to the International Space Station.
The trip marks the first manned launch since NASA's space shuttle program was retired this year, and it will take shuttle veteran Daniel Burbank, Soyuz commander Anton Shkaplerov and board engineer Anatoly Ivanishin to the station with an ETA of 12:33 a.m. EST on Wednesday, according to NASA.
The craft was originally scheduled to take off Sept. 22, but the flight was delayed after an unmanned Progress cargo ship malfunctioned Aug. 24. The problem was one that could also affect the Soyuz rocket, so it was imperative that it be fixed before sending humans into space.
A Progress spacecraft was launched successfully Oct. 30, after the issue was addressed.
Images from Soyuz missions offer breathtaking glimpses from far above the Earth, and this slideshow compiles a number of photographs from the preparations for the upcoming launch, ones from the ISS itself and images of previous Soyuz missions.
The first stage engines of the Soyuz booster rocket are visible as engineers mated the rocket with the Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Nov. 10, 2011.NASAAt the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Soyuz booster and its ISS Progress 45 cargo craft rolled to the launch pad on Oct. 28, 2011 in preparation for launch Oct. 30 to send the unmanned Russian resupply vehicle to the International Space Station.NASAFrom left to right are the prime crew that are scheduled to launch Nov. 14, Flight Engineer Anatoly Ivanishin, Expedition 30 Commander Dan Burbank of NASA and Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov and the backup crew members, Gennady Padalka, Joe Acaba of NASA and Sergei Revin. NASAAt the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 30 Flight Engineer Anatoly Ivanishin (left), Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov (center) and Expedition 30 Commander Dan Burbank of NASA (right) pose for pictures in front of their Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft Nov. 9, 2011.NASAIn Baikonur, Kazakhstan, NASA astronaut Dan Burbank (left), Expedition 30 commander; along with Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin (center), flight engineer, and Anton Shkaplerov, Soyuz commander, enjoy a relaxing game of pool at their Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters Nov. 8, 2011. The three are scheduled to launch in the Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft on Nov. 14 from Baikonur bound for the International Space Station.NASAAt the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 29/30 Soyuz commander Anton Shkaplerov says goodbye to family members on Oct. 31, 2011, as he departed for his launch site in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. NASAWith St. Basil’s Cathedral in the background, the prime crew for the upcoming Expedition 30 launch to the International Space Station pose for a photo during a tour of Red Square in Moscow Oct. 24, 2011 as part of their ceremonial pre-launch activities.NASAAstronaut Peggy A. Whitson, Expedition Five flight engineer, wearing a Russian Sokol suit, was pictured in a Soyuz spacecraft that was docked to the International Space Station (ISS) in September 2002.NASAA Soyuz spacecraft, which carried the Soyuz 5 taxi crew, was docked to the Pirs docking compartment on the International Space Station (ISS) in November 2002. The blackness of space and Earth's horizon provide the backdrop for the scene.NASAThe Expedition Six crewmembers, wearing Russian Sokol suits, posed in November 2002 for a crew photo on the International Space Station (ISS). Pictured are astronaut Donald R. Pettit (front), NASA ISS science officer; cosmonaut Nikolai M. Budarin (left back), flight engineer; and astronaut Kenneth D. Bowersox, mission commander.NASAA Soyuz spacecraft approaches the Pirs docking compartment on the International Space Station (ISS) in November 2002.NASAThe Soyuz TM-33 spacecraft, slowed greatly by a parachute, neared landing at 7:52 a.m. Moscow time in May 2002, not far from the town of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, to put the final touches on a successful Soyuz 4 ISS Taxi mission.NASATechnicians prepare the Soyuz TM-33 spacecraft for removal from the Kazakhstan landing site where the Soyuz 4 taxi mission earlier had come to a successful ending. NASA