Expedition 39/40 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov listen to instructions from Russian space officials at the start of qualification exams.

At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, Expedition 39/40 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov (left), Flight Engineer Steve Swanson of NASA (center) and Flight Engineer Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos listen to instructions from Russian space officials at the start of qualification exams March 4. The trio is preparing for launch to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on March 26, Kazakh time in their Soyuz TMA-12M spacecraft for a six-month mission.

NASA/Stephanie Stoll