The Soyuz rocket with half the Expedition 37 crew is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station this afternoon at 4:58 p.m. Eastern. But before the astronauts can leave Earth, a Russian Orthodox priest traditionally blesses just about everything headed towards the skies. On Tuesday afternoon, the priest blessed the rocket, poised to launch from the pad at Baikonur Cosmodrome. The crew gets their own blessings, too, up close and personal, as NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg, who flew to the station in May, might tell you.
NASA
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