Photo Report: Soyuz TMA-13 Crew Enter Final Training Phase

September 30, 2008. Baikonur launch site, S.P.Korolev RSC Energia branch office

The primary and backup crews of the ISS Expedition 18 and Taxi Mission 15 have entered into their final training phase in the processing facility. Yury Lonchakov (Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Russia), Michael Fincke (NASA, USA), Richard Garriott (USA) have inspected the Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft, tried on Sokol-KV spacesuits and customized contoured couches, went through the on-board documentation and the launch manifest, checked their radio communications equipment, as well as conducted a training session for scientific experiments. The Technical Management meeting took place, which made a decision to fuel Soyuz TMA-13 vehicle with propellant components and compressed gases.

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