Colorado native Steve Swanson is scheduled to lift off for space on Tuesday.

Swanson, who grew up in Steamboat Springs and graduated from the University of Colorado, will launch on a Soyuz spacecraft with two Russian cosmonauts. He's expected to spend the next six month on the International Space Station.

Swanson has flown into space twice before on NASA Space Shuttles, before that program was retired.

"Each time I was up there with my shuttle flights, it was only two weeks long and I just wanted to stay," Swanson told 7NEWS.

To prepare for the upcoming six-month expedition, Swanson has spent years in training. Although he and his fellow cosmonauts will spend just a few days aboard the Soyuz, Swanson spent months traveling between the United States and Russia to train for the trip.

"It's like starting a roller coaster ride," said Swanson describing the launch he has trained for.

After the Soyuz carries the crew to the ISS, hundreds of miles above the Earth, Swanson will assume the role of flight engineer for Expedition 39. Every crew visiting the station overlaps and when Expedition 39's members depart a few weeks later, Swanson will become the commander of Expedition 40.

-- This trip begins long before takeoff

"I just always loved to explore," the graduate of Steamboat Springs High School said.

"I'd just go hike around, you know, the areas where we were camping, and I used to love doing that, I think that's kind of the same idea, I love to explore," he added.

Original post:

Coloradan blasts off today for 6-month space job