Expedition 27 Soyuz Crew Pre-Launch

Expedition 27 crew members from top, Russian Flight Engineer Andrei Borisenko, NASA Flight Engineer Ron Garan, and Soyuz Commander Alexandr Samokutyaev wave farewell from the bottom of the Soyuz rocket prior to their launch to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on Tuesday, April 5, 2011.

The Soyuz, which has been dubbed “Gagarin”, is launching one week shy of the 50th anniversary of the launch of Yuri Gagarin from the same launch pad in Baikonur on April 12, 1961 to become the first human to fly in space.

Photo Credit (NASA/Carla Cioffi)