Expedition 9 Preflight Activities

Left to Right: European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers of the Netherlands, Expedition 9 Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer Mike Fincke, Expedition 9 Commander Gennady Padalka, Backup Flight Engineer Salizhan Sharipov, backup European Space Agency astronaut Gerhard Thiele of Germany, NASA Expedition 9 backup Commander Leroy Chiao, prepare for the flag raising ceremony at the Cosmonaut Hotel, Thursday, April 15, 2004, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)