Expedition 38 Prelaunch

Portrait of Orthodox priest, Father Sergei with the 2014 Sochi Olympic torch that is to be launched with Expedition 38 Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin of Roscosmos, Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and, Flight Engineer Rick Mastracchio of NASA, Cosmonaut hotel, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Father Sergei was waiting to provide the traditional blessing for the crew prior to their departure from the hotel. The Olympic torch will have a four-day visit to the International Space Station and will return to Earth with another trio of station residents on Nov. 11 and will be part of the torch relay that ends with the lighting of the flame at the Fisht Stadium in Sochi, Russia Feb. 7 to mark the opening of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Photo Credit (NASA/Bill Ingalls)