Today in 2009, three astronauts joined the crew of expedition 20 on the International Space Station.This was the first time six crew members worked and stayed on the station for a full expedition.Now crews routinely comprise of six members of an international community.
Expedition 20 crew members take a break from training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center to pose for a crew portrait. From the right (front row) are cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, Expedition 19/20 commander; and European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne, Expedition 20 flight engineer and Expedition 21 commander. From the left (back row) are NASA astronaut Michael Barratt, Expedition 19/20 flight engineer; Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk, Expedition 20/21 flight engineer; Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, 18/19/20 flight engineer; and cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, Expedition 20/21 flight engineer. Image: NASA/JSC.
