Expedition 8 Launch Day

Expedition 8 Commander and NASA Science Officer Mike Foale, left, Expedition 8 Soyuz Commander Alexander Kaleri and European Space Agency astronaut Pedro Duque of Spain, receive a traditional blessing from an unidentified Russian Orthodox priest in their crew quarters at the Cosmonaut Hotel, Saturday, Oct. 18, 2003, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan prior to departing for the launch pad. Foale, Kaleri and Duque were launched on a Soyuz TMA-3 vehicle to the International Space Station, arriving on Oct. 20. Photo Credit (NASA/Bill Ingalls)