Launch Photos: Russian Rocket Launches Expedition 50/51 Crew to International Space Station

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Suiting Up

The fit check dress rehearsal begins as Expedition 50/51 crew member Peggy Whitson of NASA suits up within the Integration Facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Fitting Just Right

Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency also suits up as the fit check dress rehearsal begins for the Expedition 50/51 crew.

Making the Grade

ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet completes final qualification exams inside the Soyuz simulator on Oct. 25, 2016.

Qualifying

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy of Roscosmos waits outside the Soyuz simulator, as ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, background, and NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson prepare for him to join them.

A Proud Team

Crewmembers of Expedition 50/51 — Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency (left), Peggy Whitson of NASA (center) and Oleg Novitskiy of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos, right) — place a crew insignia sticker inside a Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center aircraft.

Time for Questions

Expedition 50/51 crewmembers answer reporters' questions outside the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia.

Family Ties

Oleg Novitskiy of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) introduces his daughter to astronaut Peggy Whitson at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Russia.