April 6, 2007 12:15 PM PDT
On Thursday, the rocket that will carry the trio was moved to the launch pad and set upright. On Friday, it was being filled with oxygen and kerosene, according to the Reuters news agency. Liftoff is scheduled for just before midnight local time (late morning Pacific Daylight Time) on Saturday from the Baikonur space facility in Kazakhstan, and the travelers are expected to arrive at the International Space Station on Monday.
"They will get into the Soyuz two and a half hours before the launch to prepare themselves," said Nikolai Sevastianov, head of the Russian space company S.P. Korolev RSC Energia, according to Reuters. "And once they lift off, they will reach orbit in about 530 seconds."
Photo by Charlesinspace.com
