The Expedition 38/39 backup crewmembers lay flowers in front of a statue of Sergei Korolev Kazakhstan October 27.

The Expedition 38/39 backup crewmembers lay flowers in front of a statue of Sergei Korolev, the Russian space icon who supervised Yuri Gagarin’s launch in 1961 to become the first human to fly in space, during a tour of the city of Baikonur, Kazakhstan October 27. Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency (left), Max Suraev (center) and Reid Wiseman of NASA (right) are understudies to the prime crew, Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin and Rick Mastracchio of NASA, who will launch Nov. 7, Kazakh time, in the Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft from Baikonur to begin a six-month mission on the International Space Station.

NASA/Victor Zelentsov