PromISSe mission: launch preparations in Baikonur

Launch of the Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft with ESA's André Kuipers with Don Pettit from NASA and Oleg Kononenko from Russia is scheduled for 21 December 2011. The preparations for the liftoff are going ahead at the Baikonur cosmodrome following the traditions that have been part of every human space mission from Baikonur for decades, with roots going back to Yuri Gagarin’s pioneering 1961 flight.

These photos show the crew, busy with the final preparations for their mission.

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Hi-res TV image from the Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft	Hi-res Launch of the Soyuz TMA-03M on 21 December 2011	Hi-res Launch of the TMA-03M Soyuz on 21 December 2011
Soyuz TMA-03M liftoff from Baikonur	Hi-res	Hi-res Expeditions 30 and 31 crew members greeting audience at the launch pad
Hi-res Expeditions 30 and 31 crew members prepare to take the elevator to the top of the Soyuz rocket	Hi-res Expeditions 30 and 31 crew members prepare to take the elevator to the top of the Soyuz rocket	Hi-res Soyuz launcher ready for flight

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