Yelena Serova and the rest of her crew, Aleksandr Samokutyayev and Barry Wilmore, had their turn at winter survival training. Serova even got to pretend to have a broken leg. She becomes the fourth Russian woman in space next year in September.

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Aleksandr Samokutyayev is out!

And the hatches are shut!

Andrei Borisenko, Ron Garan and Aleksandr Samokutyayev before the hatches were shut between their Soyuz TMA-21 and the station. They physically separate 3 hours from now.

The crew of Soyuz TMA-21(Aleksandr Samokutyayev, Andrei Borisenko & Ron Garan) are scheduled to land today at 11pm CDT (‘cause that’s where Houston is). The hatches close between the Soyuz and station at 4:30 pm with undocking at 7:30 pm, and then the landing at 11pm.

You can watch it at NASA TV.

Andrei Borisenko, Aleksandr Samokutyayev and Sergei Volkov with Russian “Elektron” oxygen generators

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The current group of Russians of expedition 28 on the International Space Station: Sergei Volkov, Andrei Borisenko and Aleksandr Samokutyayev

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A picture from Aleksandr Samokutyayev of a Soyuz backdropped by the earth

Aleksandr Samokutyayev aboard the ISS (2011)

Expedition 27’s Ron Garan, Aleksandr Samokutyayev and Andrei Borisenko talk to the head of the Russian Federal Space Agency Anatoly Perminov, prior to their launch at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. (2011)

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Aleksandr Samokutyayev pulling Andrei Borisenko’s ears, a Russian birthday tradition (2011)

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Aleksandr Samokutyayev working with Matryoshka-R Phantom hardware (2011)

The Soyuz TMA-21 crew: Ron Garan, Aleksandr Samokutyayev and Andrei Borisenko

They launch today at 6:18 p.m. ET

(Source)