Astronaut Trio Heads For Space Station To Continue Scientific Research

Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, (bottom); Japanese astronaut Norishige Kanai, middle; and U.S. astronaut Scott Tingle, above; wave prior to the launch of the Soyuz-FG rocket at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sunday.

The astronauts from the U.S., Russia and Japan blasted off early Sunday and are scheduled to arrive on Tuesday.

(Image credit: Shamil Zhumatov/AP)