BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan -- A Soyuz spacecraft carrying two Russians and a American blast off for the International Space Station (ISS) Tuesday morning, where the men are to spend five months in orbit.
The Russian-built Soyuz TMA-06M had a smoother lift off on time from the Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan, according to NASA. The launch had been delayed by eight days because of an equipment problem.
Kevin Ford, Oleg Novitsky and Evgeny Tarelkin are three men headed to the ISS on a five-month mission as part of the 33rd and 34th Expedition.
On board was a stuffed hippo given to Russian astronaut Oleg Novitsky and the rest of the crew by Novitsky's daughter. Novitsky and Yevgeny Tarelkin are on their first mission and U.S. astronaut Kevin Ford is making his second space voyage.
The trio will join the current ISS crew members, Yuri Malenchenko of Russia, Sunita Williams of the United States and Akihiko Hoshide of Japan, who are to return to Earth on Nov. 12.
