Photos: Space Station's Expedition 33 Mission

Soyuz TMA-05M Departs International Space Station

The Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft departs from the International Space Station and heads toward a landing in a remote area outside the town of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan on Nov. 19, 2012 (Kazakhstan time). NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, Expedition 33 commander; Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, Soyuz commander and flight engineer; and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Aki Hoshide, flight engineer, are returning from four months onboard the space station where they served as members of the Expedition 32 and 33 crews.

Soyuz TMA-05M Re-Entry Plasma Streak

Soyuz TMA-05M (descent module) beginning to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere on Nov. 19 (real time, Nov. 18, U.S. time) leaving a plasma trail as the Expedition 33 crew streaked toward a pre-dawn landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan northeast of Arkalyk.

Space Triathlon Runner Sunita Williams

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams completed a triathlon from space Sept. 16, 2012, using an orbital treadmill to complete the running portion, a stationary bicycle for the biking leg, and a resistance machine to simulate swimming.

Astronaut Sunita Williams Takes ISS Command

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams (front left) takes command of the International Space Station from cosmonaut Gennady Padalka (front right) during a ceremony marking the start of the Expedition 33 increment aboard the space station on Sept. 15, 2012.

Astronaut Sunita Williams and Spacesuit

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, Expedition 32 flight engineer and commander of the International Space Station's Expedition 33 crew, poses for a photo with her spacesuit ahead of an Aug. 30, 2012, spacewalk.

Space Station Expedition 33 Crew Photo

The International Space Station's Expedition 33 crew. From left: NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko, Japannese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, Russian cosmonauts Evgeny Tarelkin and Oleg Novitskiy and NASA astronaut Kevin Ford.

Expedition 33 Patch

The Expedition 33 patch depicts the International Space Station (ISS) orbiting around the Earth, and into the future. Image released December 2011.

Expedition 32/33 Crew Launch

The Soyuz TMA-05M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on July 15, 2012.

Expedition 32/33 Launch

The Soyuz TMA-05M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on July 15, 2012. Crewmembers for Expeditions 32 & 33 were flying to the International Space Station.

Expedition 32/33 Crew Preflight

Expedition 32/33 crew members leave building 254 following their suited up for launch July 15, 2012 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Space Fish Habitat Air Injection

The grid structure at the upper side of each Aquatic Habitat, an aquarium for the International Space Station, captures air in each grid, while preventing water from escaping. Air will be injected with special syringe by the crew prior to the start of an investigation in 2012.