The Expedition 49 prime and backup crewmembers participate in a traditional ceremony to raise the flags of the U.S. Russia and Kazakhstan.

At their Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, the Expedition 49 prime and backup crewmembers participate in a traditional ceremony Sept. 10 to raise the flags of the U.S., Russia and Kazakhstan. Shane Kimbrough of NASA and Sergey Ryzhikov and Andrey Borisenko of Roscosmos will launch on Sept. 24, Kazakh time from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on the Soyuz MS-02 vehicle for a five-month mission on the International Space Station.

NASA/Victor Zelentsov