The Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft arrived at the launch pad Saturday, April 2, 2011, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz, which has been dubbed 'Gagarin,' launched one week shy of the 50th anniversary of the launch of Yuri Gagarin from the same launch pad on April 12, 1961, to become the first human to fly in space. v
The Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft arrived at the launch pad Saturday, April 2, 2011, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz, which has been dubbed ‘Gagarin,’ launched one week shy of the 50th anniversary of the launch of Yuri Gagarin from the same launch pad on April 12, 1961, to become the first human to fly in space. The first stage of the Soyuz booster is emblazoned with the cosmonaut’s name and likeness.Image Credit: NASA/Carla Cioffi