Photos: Space Station's Expedition 32 Mission

Soyuz TMA-04M Launches Expedition 31/32 Crewmembers

A Soyuz rocket launches on May 15, 2012, carrying Russian cosmonauts Gennady Padalka (spacecraft commander) and Sergei Revin (spacecraft flight engineer) and US astronaut Joseph Acaba (flight engineer-2 of the spacecraft) on the Expedition 31/32 mission.

Crew Members Marshburn, Romanenko, Hadfield

Attired in Russian Sokol launch and entry suits, NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn (left), Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko (center) and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield, all Expedition 32 backup crew members, take a break from training in Star City, Russia to pose for a portrait. This image was taken June 7, 2012.

Expedition 31/32 Crew Waving

Expedition 31/32 Soyuz Commander Gennady Padalka, foreground, waves farewell to friends and family as the crew bus departs the Cosmonaut Hotel with fellow Expedition 31 crew members, Flight Engineer Joe Acaba, and Flight Engineer Sergei Revin on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. The Soyuz spacecraft with Padalka, Flight Engineer Sergei Revin, and Joe Acaba onboard launched at 9:01 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Tuesday, May 15.

Water Training for Crew

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, Expedition 32/33 flight engineer; and NASA astronaut Sunita Williams (mostly obscured), Expedition 32 flight engineer and Expedition 33 commander, attired in training versions of their Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuits, are submerged in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA's Johnson Space Center. This image was released on March 15, 2012.

Soyuz Rocket Readied

At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft (right) is readied for its encapsulation into the upper stage of its Soyuz booster (left) July 8, 2012 in advance of its rollout to the launch pad July 12 , 2012.

Soyuz Rocket Booster

With the upper stage of the Soyuz booster in the foreground and the Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft in the background, technicians at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan prepared to encapsulate the Soyuz vehicle into its booster July 8, 2012.

Expedition 32 Commander Sunita Williams Suited Up

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, Expedition 32 flight engineer and Expedition 33 commander, gets help donning a training version of her Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit in preparation for a spacewalk training session in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA's Johnson Space Center. This image was taken March 15, 2012.

Expedition 32 Commander Sunita Williams Suited Up

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, Expedition 32 flight engineer and Expedition 33 commander, gets help donning a training version of her Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit in preparation for a spacewalk training session in the waters of the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) near NASA's Johnson Space Center. This image was released on Sept. 16, 2011.

Red Square and the Kremlin

With famous St. Basil's Cathedral as a fitting backdrop, the next trio of residents for the International Space Station pay a traditional visit to Red Square and the Kremlin in Moscow June 22, 2012 to lay flowers at the Kremlin Wall where Russian space icons are interred.

Planning the Meals

Expedition 32 crew members participate in a food tasting session in the Habitability and Environmental Factors Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center. The image was taken July 1, 2012.