In Photos: Expedition 51 Mission to the Space Station
Liftoff for Expedition 51 Crew
Soyuz MS-04 launches for the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on April 20, 2017.
Expedition 51 Crew Lifts Off
A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Jack Fischer and cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin launches toward the International Space Station on April 20, 2017.
Soyuz Engines Burning Bright
The engines of a Russian Soyuz rocket burn bright as the booster carries NASA astronaut Jack Fischer and cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin toward the International Space Station on April 20, 2017.
Expedition 51 Crew Inside the Soyuz
Cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin (left) and NASA astronaut Jack Fischer ride to orbit aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft on April 20, 2017.
Expedition 51 Soyuz At Launchpad
The Soyuz rocket and spacecraft set to launch NASA astronaut Jack Fischer and Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin to the International Space Station on April 20, 2017 is seen at the launchpad at Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.
Expedition 51 Crew
Expedition 51 is comprised of five crewmembers (from the left: Jack Fischer, Fyodor Yurchikhin, Thomas Pesquet, Peggy Whitson and Oleg Novitskiy). FIscher and Yurchikhin will fly to the International Space Station on April 20, 2017. The other three have been there since November 2016.
Official Badge
Expedition 51 official crew patch
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Commander Peggy Whitson
Peggy whitson became commander of the space station on April 9. She is the first woman to command the space station twice.
Ready for Launch
Expedition 51 crewmembers Fyodor Yurchikhin of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos, left) and Jack Fischer of NASA (right) answered questions from the press at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Facility in Star City, Russia. The March 31, 2017 interview took place at a Soyuz spacecraft mockup on day two of the final qualification exams for the astronauts. Yurchikhin and Fischer are set to begin Expedition 51 on April 20 in the Soyuz MS-04 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 51 is a four and a half month mission to the International Space Station.
From Ear to Ear
On November 28, 2016 during a space suit training session, NASA astronaut Jack Fischer prepares for his upcoming journey to the International Space Station for Expedition 51.
Another Memento
On April 5, 2017 Expedition 51 crewmember Jack Fischer of NASA adds his Expedition crew patch to the wall of the cabin on a Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center aircraft.
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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.