The high-stakes media dance before a journey into orbit

Space · Published 12 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Before launching into the void, astronauts must master the art of the press conference. In September 2013, the crews of Expeditions 37 and 38 gathered in Russia to answer global questions, marking the final traditional step before their departure for the International Space Station.

At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City, Russia, the Expedition 37 and 38 crews met during early September 2013. This gathering served as a vital media event, allowing the astronauts and cosmonauts to field questions from the news media before their missions. The assembly featured NASA Flight Engineer Michael Hopkins alongside Roscosmos members Sergey Ryazanskiy and Soyuz Commander Oleg Kotov. They were joined by backups Alexander Skvortsov, Oleg Artemyev, and Steve Swanson. These individuals were prepared to step in if required.

The timing was critical for the mission's logistics. Following these media activities, the crew was scheduled to depart for their launch site in Kazakhstan on September 13. The actual launch to the International Space Station was slated for September 26, Kazakh time. This period of intense preparation and public engagement is a standard component of pre-launch activities for complex spaceflight missions. The crew's departure for Kazakhstan was set for mid-September. This movement preceded their scheduled ascent to the orbital laboratory on September 26.

The transition between these expeditions was marked by significant milestones. While the Expedition 37 crew, including NASA's Karen Nyberg, Fyodor Yurchikhin, and Luca Parmitano, completed a 166-day mission in space, the subsequent Expedition 38 crew launched via a Soyuz rocket. On 6 November 2013, this mission famously transported the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics torch into orbit, blending global athletics with space travel.

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