Expedition 43 Soyuz Rolls Out for Launch
The Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft is rolled out by train to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Wednesday, March 25, 2015. NASA Astronaut Scott Kelly, and Russian Cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko, and Gennady Padalka of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station in the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan March 28, Kazakh time (March 27 Eastern time.) As the one-year crew, Kelly and Kornienko will return to Earth on Soyuz TMA-18M in March 2016.
Video: Expedition 43 Soyuz Rocket Moves to Its Launch Pad
The Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft and its booster were moved to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan March 25 for final preparations before launch to the International Space Station on March 27 U.S. time (March 28, Kazakh time). The Soyuz TMA-16M will carry Soyuz Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Mikhail Kornienko of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and NASA Flight Engineer Scott Kelly to the orbital complex, where Kelly and Kornienko will spend a year conducting research on the long duration effects of space travel on the human body. The footage also includes scenes of Kelly meeting with his family and other invited guests at the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters.