Space Station Photos: Expedition 55 Crew in Orbit
Expedition 55
Expedition 55 to the International Space Station began on Feb. 27, 2018 when three Expedition 53/54 crewmembers returned to Earth after spending 168 days in space. It will end in June 2018 with the departure of the Expedition 54/55 crew. Click through this gallery to see photos of the astronauts and cosmonauts of Expedition 55.
Here: The official mission insignia of the Expedition 55 crew.
The Crew
The members of Expedition 55 pose for a photo at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. In the front row (from left to right) are Expedition 54/55 crewmembers Scott Tingle of NASA, Commander Anton Shkaplerov of Roscosmos and Norishige Kanai of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. (They launched to the ISS on Dec. 17, 2017 during Expedition 54). In the back row is the Expedition 55/56 crew: NASA astronauts Ricky Arnold and Andrew Feustel and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev. They are scheduled to launch to the ISS on March 21, 2018.
Change of Command
Expedition 54 Cmdr. Alexander Misurkin (far left) handed over command of the International Space Station to cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov (far right) on Feb. 26, 2018. In the background (from left) are astronauts Mark Vande Hei, Norishige Kanai and Scott Tingle.
Exam Time
Backup crewmembers for Expedition 55, Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos (left) and Nick Hague of NASA arrive at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia ready for qualification exams.
Meeting the Press
Before qualification exams begin at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos (right) and Nick Hague of NASA answer questions from the press. The duo are Expedition 55 backup crewmembers for Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos and Ricky Arnold and Drew Feustel of NASA.
Reporting for Duty
Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev (left) and NASA astronauts Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold (center and right) report to the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center for qualification exams. Expedition 55 launches on Mar. 21, 2018 for a five-month mission aboard the International Space Station.
Looking Around
Drew Feustel of NASA and prime crewmember for the upcoming Expedition 55, looks out the door of the Russian module training mockup during Feb. 20th's qualification exams.
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Ricky Arnold
NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold, one of the Expedition 55 crewmembers, answers questions from the press during qualification exams for the upcoming Expedition 55 five-month mission to the International Space Station.
Signing In
On the final day of qualification exams for the Expedition 55 mission, Drew Feustel of NASA signs into the Gagrain Cosmonaut Training Center.
Certifying His Presence
Crewmembers Ricky Arnold of NASA (center) and Drew Feustel of NASA (right) watch while Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos (left) also signs in for qualification exams. Expedition 55 is scheduled to launch in a Soyuz MS-08 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in March 2018.
What a Trio!
Expedition 55 crew members Drew Feustel of NASA (left), Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos (center) and Ricky Arnold of NASA (right) pose for official photos at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia before the upcoming launch to the ISS.
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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.