Expedition 39 Preflight

A Russian Orthodox priest stands ready to preform the traditional blessing of the crew at the Cosmonaut Hotel prior to the launch of Soyuz TMA-12M to the International Space Station, Tuesday, March 25, 2014, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Expedition 39 Soyuz Commander Alexander Skvortsov of the Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, Flight Engineer Steve Swanson of NASA, and Flight Engineer Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos will spend six months living and working aboard the ISS. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)