Since docking with the International Space Station on 24 November 2014, Soyuz TMA-15M has been waiting for its return flight to Earth. On Thursday, ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, NASA astronaut Terry Virts and cosmonaut commander Anton Shkaplerov will enter the spacecraft and close the hatch after 200 days in space.

Not much will remain of the craft once it lands on the Kazakh steppe some three hours after leaving the Space Station. The vessel will separate into three modules, with only the middle one designed to survive the extreme heat and forces of reentry. The sections sporting the solar wings, symbols and antenna will burn up harmlessly in the atmosphere.

When the trio slowly back away from the Station at around 10:20 GMT they will be travelling at 28 800 km/h relative to the ground. The Soyuz thrusters, parachutes and even springs will bring them to a halt with a thump at the end of their mission.

It is a bumpy ride, but a safe one. Each Soyuz comes with a ‘space warranty’ of 210 days, leaving TMA-15M with a comfortable margin as it comes home.

Samantha shared this image a few day's before returning to Earth with the comment: "Here she is, our Soyuz. It's been sleeping for over six months, it's time to wake her up. On Monday: thrusters test."

Follow the flight live on the ESA website.

Credit: ESA/NASA

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, NASA astronaut Terry Virts and Russian commander Anton Shkaplerov landed safely on 11 June 2015 in the Kazakh steppe after a three-hour ride in their Soyuz spacecraft. They left the International Space Station at 10:20 GMT at the end of their six-month stay on the research complex.

Terry Virts, Anton Shkaplerov, and Samantha Cristoforetti are returning after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 42 and 43 crews.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2015

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, NASA astronaut Terry Virts and Russian commander Anton Shkaplerov landed safely on 11 June 2015 in the Kazakh steppe after a three-hour ride in their Soyuz spacecraft. They left the International Space Station at 10:20 GMT at the end of their six-month stay on the research complex.

Terry Virts, Anton Shkaplerov, and Samantha Cristoforetti are returning after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 42 and 43 crews.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2015

The Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft is rolled out by train, on 21 November 2014, from the MIK 40 integration facility to the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad 31, in Kazakhstan.

The launch of the Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) with Expedition 42/43 ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, Roscosmos commander Anton Shkaplerov and Terry Virts of NASA, is scheduled on 23 November at 20:59 GMT (21:59 CET).

Samantha was assigned to the Futura mission more than two years ago and has travelled the world training on all the elements of the most complex machine ever built: the International Space Station. She learnt how to control the Station’s robotic arms, how to handle any emergency and how to perform all the scientific experiments she will run for the scientists on Earth.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2014

The Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 43 commander Terry Virts of NASA, cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), and Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti from European Space Agency (ESA) near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Thursday, June 11, 2015. Virts, Shkaplerov, and Cristoforetti are returning after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 42 and 43 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

The Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft is rolled out by train, on 21 November 2014, from the MIK 40 integration facility to the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad 31, in Kazakhstan.

The launch of the Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) with Expedition 42/43 ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, Roscosmos commander Anton Shkaplerov and Terry Virts of NASA, is scheduled on 23 November at 20:59 GMT (21:59 CET).

Samantha was assigned to the Futura mission more than two years ago and has travelled the world training on all the elements of the most complex machine ever built: the International Space Station. She learnt how to control the Station’s robotic arms, how to handle any emergency and how to perform all the scientific experiments she will run for the scientists on Earth.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2014

Expedition 43 Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti from European Space Agency (ESA) rests in a chair outside the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft just minutes after she and NASA astronaut Terry Virts of NASA, and cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Thursday, June 11, 2015. Virts, Shkaplerov, and Cristoforetti are returning after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 42 and 43 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

The Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft is rolled out by train, on 21 November 2014, from the MIK 40 integration facility to the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad 31, in Kazakhstan.

The launch of the Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) with Expedition 42/43 ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, Roscosmos commander Anton Shkaplerov and Terry Virts of NASA, is scheduled on 23 November at 20:59 GMT (21:59 CET).

Samantha was assigned to the Futura mission more than two years ago and has travelled the world training on all the elements of the most complex machine ever built: the International Space Station. She learnt how to control the Station’s robotic arms, how to handle any emergency and how to perform all the scientific experiments she will run for the scientists on Earth.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2014

The Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 43 commander Terry Virts of NASA, cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), and Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti from European Space Agency (ESA) near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Thursday, June 11, 2015. Virts, Shkaplerov, and Cristoforetti are returning after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 42 and 43 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014 carrying Expedition 42 Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), Flight Engineer Terry Virts of NASA, and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA) into orbit to begin their five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. (Photo Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

The Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft is rolled out by train, on 21 November 2014, from the MIK 40 integration facility to the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad 31, in Kazakhstan.

The launch of the Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) with Expedition 42/43 ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, Roscosmos commander Anton Shkaplerov and Terry Virts of NASA, is scheduled on 23 November at 20:59 GMT (21:59 CET).

Samantha was assigned to the Futura mission more than two years ago and has travelled the world training on all the elements of the most complex machine ever built: the International Space Station. She learnt how to control the Station’s robotic arms, how to handle any emergency and how to perform all the scientific experiments she will run for the scientists on Earth.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2014

Expedition 43 commander Terry Virts of NASA, left, cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), center, and Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti from European Space Agency (ESA) sit in chairs outside the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft just minutes after they landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Thursday, June 11, 2015. Virts, Shkaplerov, and Cristoforetti are returning after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 42 and 43 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 43 commander Terry Virts of NASA is helped out of the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft just minutes after he and cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), center, and Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti from European Space Agency (ESA) landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Thursday, June 11, 2015. Virts, Shkaplerov, and Cristoforetti are returning after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 42 and 43 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti dressed in her Russian Sokol suit, ready for launch to the International Space Station, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on 23 November 2014.

With Samantha are Russian Soyuz commander Anton Shkaplerov and NASA astronaut Terry Virts. All three are part of the Station’s Expedition 42/43 crew.

On this mission, Samantha is flying as an ESA astronaut for Italy’s ASI space agency under a special agreement between ASI and NASA.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2014

Expedition 43 cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) is helped out of the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft just minutes after he and NASA astronaut Terry Virts of NASA, and Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti from European Space Agency (ESA) landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Thursday, June 11, 2015. Virts, Shkaplerov, and Cristoforetti are returning after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 42 and 43 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

The Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft is rolled out by train, on 21 November 2014, from the MIK 40 integration facility to the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad 31, in Kazakhstan.

The launch of the Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) with Expedition 42/43 ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, Roscosmos commander Anton Shkaplerov and Terry Virts of NASA, is scheduled on 23 November at 20:59 GMT (21:59 CET).

Samantha was assigned to the Futura mission more than two years ago and has travelled the world training on all the elements of the most complex machine ever built: the International Space Station. She learnt how to control the Station’s robotic arms, how to handle any emergency and how to perform all the scientific experiments she will run for the scientists on Earth.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2014

The Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft is rolled out by train, on 21 November 2014, from the MIK 40 integration facility to the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad 31, in Kazakhstan.

The launch of the Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) with Expedition 42/43 ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, Roscosmos commander Anton Shkaplerov and Terry Virts of NASA, is scheduled on 23 November at 20:59 GMT (21:59 CET).

Samantha was assigned to the Futura mission more than two years ago and has travelled the world training on all the elements of the most complex machine ever built: the International Space Station. She learnt how to control the Station’s robotic arms, how to handle any emergency and how to perform all the scientific experiments she will run for the scientists on Earth.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2014

201506110001hq (06/11/2015) --- The Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 43 commander Terry Virts of NASA, cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), and Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti from European Space Agency (ESA) near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Thursday, June 11, 2015. Virtz, Shkaplerov, and Cristoforetti are returning after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 42 and 43 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

201506110006hq (06/11/2015) --- Expedition 43 Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti from European Space Agency (ESA) rests in a chair outside the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft just minutes after she and NASA astronaut Terry Virts of NASA, and cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Thursday, June 11, 2015. Virtz, Shkaplerov, and Cristoforetti are returning after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 42 and 43 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014 as seen in this long exposure carrying Expedition 42 Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), Flight Engineer Terry Virts of NASA, and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA) into orbit to begin their five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. (Photo Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA) waits for a pressure check of her Sokol suit in Building 254 following her suit up for launch, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for the early hours of Nov. 24 and will carry Cristoforetti and fellow crewmates, Flight Engineer Terry Virts of NASA and Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) into orbit to begin their five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

The Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014 carrying Expedition 42 Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), Flight Engineer Terry Virts of NASA, and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA) into orbit to begin their five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. (Photo Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

The Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft was launched from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 21:01 GMT/22:01 CET on 23 November 2014 with ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti and her crewmates to the weightless research centre where they will live and work for five months.

With Samantha are Russian Soyuz commander Anton Shkaplerov and NASA astronaut Terry Virts. All three are part of the Station’s Expedition 42/43 crew.

On this mission, Samantha is flying as an ESA astronaut for Italy’s ASI space agency under a special agreement between ASI and NASA.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2014

The Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft was launched from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 23 November 2014 with ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti and her crewmates to the weightless research centre where they will live and work for five months.

With Samantha are Russian Soyuz commander Anton Shkaplerov and NASA astronaut Terry Virts. All three are part of the Station’s Expedition 42/43 crew.

On this mission, Samantha is flying as an ESA astronaut for Italy’s ASI space agency under a special agreement between ASI and NASA.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2014

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, NASA astronaut Terry Virts and Russian commander Anton Shkaplerov landed safely on 11 June 2015 in the Kazakh steppe after a three-hour ride in their Soyuz spacecraft. They left the International Space Station at 10:20 GMT at the end of their six-month stay on the research complex.

Terry Virts, Anton Shkaplerov, and Samantha Cristoforetti are returning after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 42 and 43 crews.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2015

Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA) has her Russian Sokol suit pressure checked in preparation for her launch aboard the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for the early hours of Nov. 24 and will carry Cristoforetti and fellow crewmates, Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), and Flight Engineer Terry Virts of NASA, into orbit to begin their five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)

An Orthodox priest blesses members of the media at the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014, in Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for Nov. 24 and will carry Expedition 42 Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), Flight Engineer Terry Virts of NASA , and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency into orbit to begin their five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

The Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft was launched from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 23 November 2014 with ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti and her crewmates to the weightless research centre where they will live and work for five months.

With Samantha are Russian Soyuz commander Anton Shkaplerov and NASA astronaut Terry Virts. All three are part of the Station’s Expedition 42/43 crew.

On this mission, Samantha is flying as an ESA astronaut for Italy’s ASI space agency under a special agreement between ASI and NASA.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2014

The Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft was launched from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 23 November 2014 with ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti and her crewmates to the weightless research centre where they will live and work for five months.

With Samantha are Russian Soyuz commander Anton Shkaplerov and NASA astronaut Terry Virts. All three are part of the Station’s Expedition 42/43 crew.

On this mission, Samantha is flying as an ESA astronaut for Italy’s ASI space agency under a special agreement between ASI and NASA.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2014

Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA), presses her hands against the bus window as she departs the Cosmonaut Hotel to suit up for the Soyuz launch to the International Space Station on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for the early hours of Nov. 24 and will send Cristoforetti, Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), and Flight Engineer Terry Virts of NASA on a five and a half month mission aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Terry Virts of NASA, left, takes a quick glimpse up at the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft before boarding to launch with fellow crewmates Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA) Monday, Nov. 24, 2014 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Cristoforetti, Virts, and Shkaplerov will spend the next five and a half months aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, NASA astronaut Terry Virts and Russian commander Anton Shkaplerov landed safely on 11 June 2015 in the Kazakh steppe after a three-hour ride in their Soyuz spacecraft. They left the International Space Station at 10:20 GMT at the end of their six-month stay on the research complex.

Terry Virts, Anton Shkaplerov, and Samantha Cristoforetti are returning after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 42 and 43 crews.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2015

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, NASA astronaut Terry Virts and Russian commander Anton Shkaplerov landed safely on 11 June 2015 in the Kazakh steppe after a three-hour ride in their Soyuz spacecraft. They left the International Space Station at 10:20 GMT at the end of their six-month stay on the research complex.

Terry Virts, Anton Shkaplerov, and Samantha Cristoforetti are returning after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 42 and 43 crews.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2015

Expedition 42/43 ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, Terry Virts of NASA and Roscosmos commander Anton Shkaplerov greeting audience at the launch pad, just before entering elevator transporting the crew up to the top of the Soyuz rocket, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on 23 November 2014.

On this mission, Samantha is flying as an ESA astronaut for Italy’s ASI space agency under a special agreement between ASI and NASA.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2014

An Orthodox priest blesses the Soyuz rocket at the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch pad on Saturday Nov. 22, 2014, in Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for Nov. 24 and will carry Expedition 42 Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), Flight Engineer Terry Virts of NASA , and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency into orbit to begin their five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

The Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft is seen on the launch pad just prior to launch on Monday, Nov. 24, 2014 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for the early hours of Nov. 24 and will carry Expedition 42 Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), Flight Engineer Terry Virts of NASA , and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency into orbit to begin their five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

201506110005hq (06/11/2015) --- Expedition 43 commander Terry Virts of NASA is helped out of the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft just minutes after he and cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), center, and Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti from European Space Agency (ESA) landed in a remote area near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Thursday, June 11, 2015. Virtz, Shkaplerov, and Cristoforetti are returning after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 42 and 43 crews. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA) is helped into her Russian Sokol suit as she and fellow crewmates, Flight Engineer Terry Virts of NASA and Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), prepare for their Soyuz launch to the International Space Station, on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for the early hours of Nov. 24 and will carry Virts, Cristoforetti, and Shkaplerov into orbit to begin their five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, NASA astronaut Terry Virts and Russian commander Anton Shkaplerov landed safely on 11 June 2015 in the Kazakh steppe after a three-hour ride in their Soyuz spacecraft. They left the International Space Station at 10:20 GMT at the end of their six-month stay on the research complex.

Terry Virts, Anton Shkaplerov, and Samantha Cristoforetti are returning after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 42 and 43 crews.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2015

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, NASA astronaut Terry Virts and Russian commander Anton Shkaplerov landed safely on 11 June 2015 in the Kazakh steppe after a three-hour ride in their Soyuz spacecraft. They left the International Space Station at 10:20 GMT at the end of their six-month stay on the research complex.

Terry Virts, Anton Shkaplerov, and Samantha Cristoforetti are returning after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 42 and 43 crews.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2015

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, NASA astronaut Terry Virts and Russian commander Anton Shkaplerov landed safely on 11 June 2015 in the Kazakh steppe after a three-hour ride in their Soyuz spacecraft. They left the International Space Station at 10:20 GMT at the end of their six-month stay on the research complex.

Terry Virts, Anton Shkaplerov, and Samantha Cristoforetti are returning after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 42 and 43 crews.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2015

Expedition 42 crew members, Flight Engineer Terry Virts of NASA, left, Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA), center, and Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), right, wave farewell to family and friends as they depart the Cosmonaut Hotel to suit-up for their Soyuz launch to the International Space Station on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014, in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for the early hours of Nov. 24 and will send Virts, Cristoforetti, and Shkaplerov on a five and a half month mission aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti, of the European Space Agency (ESA), top, Flight Engineer Terry Virts of NASA, center, and Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), bottom, wave farewell prior to boarding the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft for launch, Monday, Nov. 24, 2014 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Cristoforetti, Virts, and Shkaplerov will spend the next five and a half months aboard the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Expedition 42/43 ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, Roscosmos commander Anton Shkaplerov and Terry Virts of NASA and dignitaries at the launch pad in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on 23 November 2014.

On this mission, Samantha is flying as an ESA astronaut for Italy’s ASI space agency under a special agreement between ASI and NASA.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2014

Expedition 42 Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA) has her Russian Sokol suit pressure checked in preparation for her launch aboard the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for the early hours of Nov. 24 and will carry Cristoforetti and fellow crewmates, Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), and Flight Engineer Terry Virts of NASA, into orbit to begin their five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, NASA astronaut Terry Virts and Russian commander Anton Shkaplerov landed safely on 11 June 2015 in the Kazakh steppe after a three-hour ride in their Soyuz spacecraft. They left the International Space Station at 10:20 GMT at the end of their six-month stay on the research complex.

Terry Virts, Anton Shkaplerov, and Samantha Cristoforetti are returning after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 42 and 43 crews.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2015

Expedition 42 Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) has his Russian Sokol suit pressure checked in preparation for his launch aboard the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014, at Building 254 in the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for the early hours of Nov. 24 and will carry Shkaplerov and fellow crewmates, Flight Engineers Terry Virts of NASA and Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA) into orbit to begin their five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/GCTC/Andrey Shelepin)

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, NASA astronaut Terry Virts and Russian commander Anton Shkaplerov landed safely on 11 June 2015 in the Kazakh steppe after a three-hour ride in their Soyuz spacecraft. They left the International Space Station at 10:20 GMT at the end of their six-month stay on the research complex.

Terry Virts, Anton Shkaplerov, and Samantha Cristoforetti are returning after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 42 and 43 crews.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2015

ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, NASA astronaut Terry Virts and Russian commander Anton Shkaplerov landed safely on 11 June 2015 in the Kazakh steppe after a three-hour ride in their Soyuz spacecraft. They left the International Space Station at 10:20 GMT at the end of their six-month stay on the research complex.

Terry Virts, Anton Shkaplerov, and Samantha Cristoforetti are returning after more than six months onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 42 and 43 crews.

Credit: ESA–S. Corvaja, 2015

Expedition 42 Flight Engineers Terry Virts of NASA and Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA) wait while crewmate and Soyuz Commander, Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), has his Sokol suit pressure checked on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2014 at Building 254 in the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for the early hours of Nov. 24 and will carry Shkaplerov, Virts, and Cristoforetti into orbit to begin their five and a half month mission on the International Space Station. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)