ISS Trio of Expedition 40 Will Launch into Space on Wednesday

Commander Steve Swanson and Flight Engineers Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev are aboard the International Space Station conducting scientific experiments and awaiting the arrival of the other three members of their crew.

On Wednesday at 3:57 p.m. the new trio of the International Space Station's Expedition 40/41 will launch into space to join their crew members. Soyuz Commander and cosmonaut Maxim Suraev, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman and European astronaut Alexander Gerst will launch aboard the Soyuz TMA-13M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Maxim Suraev was born in Chelyabisk, Russia. He completed his basic space training between December of 1997 and November of 1999. He began ISS advanced space training in 2000 and served as the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center's Director of Operations-Houston at Johnson Space Center from 2001-2002. He was then an ISS backup crew member from March 2006 and March 2009.

Alexander Gerst was born in Künzelsau, Germany and received his diploma in geophysics from the University of Karlsruhe in 2003. He then graduated from the University of Hamburg, Germany in 2010 with a Doctorate in natural sciences. Gerst was selected as an ESA astronaut in 2009 and completed Astronaut Basic Training in 2010. Less than a year later he was assigned to the Expedition 40/41 ISS crew.

And last but not least, Reid Wiseman was born in 1976 and is a NASA astronaut. He graduated with a Masters of Science degree in systems engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 2006. He began flight training in 1997 and was designated as a Naval Aviator in 1999. Since then he has received special honors from the military, including Air Medal with Combat V, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat V, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and various others. After serving in the military, he reported to the Johnson Space Center in 2009 and completed astronaut training in 2011. He was then assigned to the current ISS expedition.

The trio is looking forward to conducting operations aboard the ISS, including experiments, research, and other assignments.