Image 8-24
Soyuz Above Earth

This image shows the Soyuz TMA-6 spacecraft approaching the International Space Station (ISS), backdropped by the blackness of space and Earth’s horizon. Onboard the spacecraft are cosmonaut Sergei K. Krikalev, Expedition 11 commander representing Russia's Federal Space Agency; astronaut John L. Phillips, NASA ISS science officer and flight engineer; and European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Roberto Vittori of Italy. The Soyuz linked to the Pirs Docking Compartment at 9:20 p.m. (CDT) on April 16, 2005 as the two spacecraft flew over eastern Asia.