Today Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre saw formal farewell ceremony of main and back-up crews of ISS-39/40 mission leaving for Baikonur spaceport for further preflight trainings.
After traditional breakfast among colleagues the crews walked along the alley to the Lenin stele where they made memorable photos and answered the journalists’ questions.
Then the crews were transported to Chkalovsky airfield from where they flew to Kazakhstan for further preflight trainings by special charters (at 11.03 and 11.27). The aircrafts successfully landed at Krainiy airport not far from Baikonur city.
The crews and GCTC specialist will stay at the training base of GCTC in Baikonur and will be having complex trainings for 2 weeks.
Tomorrow the crews will make Soyuz fit-check.
The launch of Soyuz TMA-12M spacecraft is scheduled for March 26, 2014.
Image credit – RSC Energia
