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Rocket shuttles astronauts to and from space —

Three crew members returned to Earth from the International Space Station on Monday, November 19. Their Soyuz spacecraft landed near he town of Arkalyk in northern Kazakhstan. The trio had been on a four-month mission on the station. They were replaced by three new crew members, who arrived at the space station on October 23.

EPA/SERGEI REMEZOV /POOL /LANDOV

Rocket shuttles astronauts to and from space —

Flight engineer Akihiko Hoshide of Japan, from left, Yuri Malenchenko of Russia, also a flight engineer, and Sunita Williams of the United States, mission commander, sit outside the Soyuz spacecraft minutes after landing on Monday.

NASA/Bill Ingalls

Rocket shuttles astronauts to and from space —

The Soyuz spacecraft sits on the snow in a remote area near Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, shortly after it landed on Monday.

NASA/Bill Ingalls

Rocket shuttles astronauts to and from space —

A Soyuz rocket took off on Tuesday, October 23, from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, carrying three new crew members to join co-workers on the International Space Station. Evgeny Tarelkin and Soyuz Cmdr. Oleg Novitskiy from Russia's space program and Kevin Ford from NASA will be on a five-month mission on the station.

Courtesy NASA

Rocket shuttles astronauts to and from space —

The Soyuz rocket shoots through the atmosphere on Tuesday with the new crew.

NASA/Bill Ingalls

Rocket shuttles astronauts to and from space —

Flight engineer Evgeny Tarelkin, top, flight engineer Kevin Ford and Soyuz Cmdr. Oleg Novitskiy wave farewell before boarding the Soyuz spacecraft just a few hours before launch.

Courtesy NASA

Rocket shuttles astronauts to and from space —

A train pulls the rocket to the launch pad on Sunday.

Courtesy NASA

Rocket shuttles astronauts to and from space —

A railroad engineer looks out from the locomotive that is used Sunday to deliver the Soyuz rocket to the launch pad.

Courtesy NASA

Rocket shuttles astronauts to and from space —

The Soyuz rocket is hoisted into position after being rolled out to the launch pad Sunday.

Courtesy NASA

Rocket shuttles astronauts to and from space —

Tarelkin gets his hair cut at the Cosmonaut Hotel on Sunday, October 21, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Courtesy NASA

Rocket shuttles astronauts to and from space —

Ford has a spacesuit fit check at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

Courtesy NASA

Rocket shuttles astronauts to and from space —

The Soyuz rocket is rolled out to the launch pad Sunday.

Courtesy NASA

Rocket shuttles astronauts to and from space —

Ford, left, Novitskiy and Tarelkin chat in front of a mockup of the Soyuz rocket before their final preflight practical examination at the Cosmonaut Training Centre in Star City, Russia, on September 21.

AFP/Getty Images

Rocket shuttles astronauts to and from space —

Technicians prepare the Soyuz rocket to be erected at the launch pad on Sunday.

Courtesy NASA

Rocket shuttles astronauts to and from space —

The Expedition 33 backup crew, Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, left, Russian cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov and NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy speak at a press conference at the Cosmonaut Hotel on Monday, October 22.

Courtesy NASA