In Photos: Expedition 51 Mission to the Space Station

Crewmates

NASA

Expedition crewmembers Jack Fischer of NASA and Fyodor Yurchikhin of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) travel to Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard a Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center aircraft for the last phase of pre-launch training.

The Soyuz

Andrey Shelepin/NASA/Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center

On April 6, 2017 at the Integration Building at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Fyodor Yurchikhin of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos, left) and Jack Fischer of NASA (right), Expedition 51 crewmembers prepare for a April 20, 2017 launch to the International Space Station.

Test in Preparation

Andrey Shelepin/NASA/Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center

A leak check of the Russian Sokol launch and entry suit for Expedition 51 crew member Jack Fischer of NASA takes place before pre-launch preparations inside the Soyuz MS-04 spacecraft. Fischer and his crewmate Fyodor Yurchikhin of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) launch for the ISS on April 20, 2017.

First and Second String

Andrey Shelepin/NASA/Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center

Expedition 51 crew Fyodor Yurchikhin of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos, front row, left) and Jack Fischer of NASA (front row, right), and backup crew Sergey Ryazanskiy of Roscosmos (back row, left) and Randy Bresnik of NASA (back row, right) pose for pictures in the Integration Building at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The astronauts are finishing up pre-launch training at the center for the April 20, 2017 launch.

Tight Fit

Andrey Shelepin/NASA/Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center

Expedition 51 crew member Jack Fischer of NASA slips into his seat aboard the Soyuz MS-04 spacecraft during pre-launch training prep at the Integration Building at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazahkstan. On April 20, 2017, Fischer and Fyodor Yurchikhin of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) begin their journey to the International Space Station.

Expedition 50/51 Crew Portrait

NASA/Bill Ingalls

Astronauts Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency), Oleg Novitskiy of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, and Peggy Whitson of NASA pose for a group photo at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia during qualification exams for their Expedition 50/51 mission to the International Space Station.

Cool, Calm and Collected Crewmates

NASA

Expedition 51 crewmembers — Flight Engineer Fyodor Yurchikhin, in front, and from left to right Commander Peggy Whitson with Flight Engineers Jack Fischer, Thomas Pesquet and Oleg Novitskiy — pose for a photo with the Orbital ATK Cygnus resupply ship outside the cupola in the background.

Docked After the Trip

NASA

Attached to the Rassvet module the Soyuz MS-03 that brought Oleg Novitskiy, Thomas Pesquet and Peggy Whitson to the International Space Station awaits the journey home.

Teamwork

NASA

During Expedition 51, Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet and Commander Peggy Whitson work in the Destiny laboratory module at the robotics work station. The pair practices capturing a resupply ship with the Canadarm2 robotic arm.

Incoming

NASA

On April 22, 2017, Orbital ATK's Cygnus resupply ship heads toward the International Space Station before astronauts aboard use the Canadarm2 robotic arm to capture and mate it with the Unity module.

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Christine Lunsford
Producer and Contributing Writer

Christine Lunsford joined the Space.com team in 2010 as a freelance producer and later became a contributing writer, covering astrophotography images, astronomy photos and amazing space galleries and more. During her more than 10 years with Space.com, oversaw the site's monthly skywatching updates and produced overnight features and stories on the latest space discoveries. She enjoys learning about subjects of all kinds.