At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 40/41 Soyuz Commander Max Suraev of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), NASA Flight Engineer Reid Wiseman and Flight Engineer Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency conducted a final "fit check" in their Soyuz TMA-13M spacecraft; conducted traditional ceremonies, and celebrated Suraev's birthday on May 24th. The Soyuz rocket's segments were mated May 25th, and the spacecraft and its booster were moved to the launch pad on a railcar May 26 for final preparations before launch to the International Space Station on May 29, Kazakh time, carrying the trio to the ISS for a 5 ½ month mission. The footage also includes interviews with Bob Behnken, NASA Chief Astronaut; Dan Hartman, ISS Deputy Program Manager; William Gerstenmaier, NASA Associate Administrator for Spaceflight Operations; and Ulf Merbold, former ESA astronaut.

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