CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- They could be the closest crew ever to fly the Space Shuttle.

Training three years for a 10-day space mission, these seven astronauts have spent plenty of time together sharing challenges, solving problems and trading humorous one-liners from popular movies featuring characters such as Austin Powers and Monty Python.

The seven astronauts flying the STS-92 mission train for their flight at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA image.

Together they are about to launch on NASA's 100th shuttle mission, a milestone they say is a trick of scheduling and not as important as the work they plan to do at the International Space Station.

They are six men and one woman. Six veterans and one rookie. Six Americans and one Japanese.

Four will walk in space. One is married to another astronaut. One is an expert operating the shuttle's robot arm.

Individually diverse, they are a single team of experienced NASA astronauts ready to fly the STS-92 mission.