An American astronaut, a Russian cosmonaut, and the man who will become Canada's first space station commander are readying to launch to orbit Wednesday (Dec. 19).

NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn, Russian Federal Space Agency cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield are due to blast off aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome Wednesday at7:12 a.m. EST (6:12 p.m. Baikonur time, or 1212 GMT).

The three spaceflyers will join the three men already on the space station to round out the Expedition 34 crew. Marshburn, Romanenko and Hadfield are due to spend about five months in space, and Hadfield will take over control of the station in March 2013 when the Expedition 35 mission begins.

Hadfield has been active on Twitter leading up to his flight, sharing memories from his previous two visits to space and thoughts on what's in store for him and his crewmates.

"To deal with pre-flight jitters I focus on what matters, right now, & 1 min from now," he wrote today (Dec. 18) in response to a follower's question. "The entire event is too big & overwhelming."

Marshburn, Romanenko and Hadfield will join current space station commander Kevin Ford of NASA, and Expedition 34 flight engineers Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin, both cosmonauts. After the launch, it will take two days for the Soyuz TMA-07M spacecraft to catch up with the space station in orbit. Docking is expected on Friday (Dec. 21) at 9:12 a.m. EST (1412 GMT).

Marshburn, who worked as a NASA flight surgeon before joining the astronaut corps in 2004, has one previous space shuttle flight in 2009 under his belt. Romanenko will also be making his second trip to space following a six-month stay on the space station in 2009.

All three men have been training for this mission for years. "It's a two-and-a-half-year flow, so you have more time to get into depth in every subject," Marshburn said of his space station training, contrasting it to the shorter training regimen for space shuttle flights. [Video: Marshburn Talks to SPACE.com]

"We have to be plumbers, electricians, construction engineers, or workers, on the space station, but at the same time running a laboratory, being scientists, being the best laboratory assistants we can be," Marshburn told SPACE.com. "It's all in a bundle; it's very exciting, it's a lot of fun."

The spaceflyers will be arriving at the station just in time to celebrate an orbital Christmas.

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Three New Crewmembers to Launch to Space Station Wednesday

BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (AP) A Soyuz spacecraft carrying an American, a Russian and a Canadian headed Wednesday for the International Space Station, where they will spend four months carrying out dozens of experiments.

The spacecraft launched from a Russian-leased manned-space facility in the frigid steppes of Kazakhstan at 6:12 p.m. (1212 GMT). It took off atop a towering Russian rocket and went into orbit about 15 minutes later.

American Tom Marshburn, Russian Roman Romanenko and Canadian Chris Hadfield will travel for two days in the capsule, before docking with the mammoth space station where three other people are already on board.

Russian Federal Space Agency chief Vladimir Popovkin said the liftoff took place "without a hitch."

"We have finished off this year of launches on a good and handsome note. There is now only one operation left, and that is the docking, which we are positive we successfully take place Friday," he said.

The docking's timing so close to Christmas added to the high emotional valence of spaceflight for Hadfield. "There are certain times of the year and certain times in life that are special by everybody's traditions. In my family's tradition, this is maybe the most special time of the year," he said.

The clear azure skies afforded a vivid view of the rocket as it took off, left a deep plume of white smoke and finally vanished into the distance as a vivid orange dot.

Among those watching was Hadfield's daughter, Kristian. "I'm feeling so happy. I mean, my dad just went to space. It's amazing. I'm feeling amazing," she said.

The International Space Station is the biggest orbiting outpost ever built and can sometimes be seen from the Earth with the naked eye. It consists of more than a dozen modules built by the U.S., Russia, Canada, Japan and the European Space Agency.

Marshburn, Romanenko and Hadfield will spend four months aboard the space station to conduct some 50 scientific experiments including a test for a system aimed at predicting natural calamities.

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Rocket with 3 onboard heads for space station

This story was updated on Dec. 19 at 7:20 a.m. EST.

An American astronaut, a Russian cosmonaut, and the man who will become Canada's first space station commander lifted off today (Dec. 19) toward the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn, Russian Federal Space Agency cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield launched aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome at7:12 a.m. EST (6:12 p.m. Baikonur time, or 1212 GMT).

"Everything is nominal onboard; we're feeling well," Romanenko, commanding the Soyuz, said through a translator just after launch. "We are feeling great."

The three spaceflyers will join the three men already on the space station to round out the Expedition 34 crew. Marshburn, Romanenko and Hadfield are due to spend about five months in space, and Hadfield will take over control of the station in March 2013 when the Expedition 35 mission begins.

Hadfield has been active on Twitter leading up to his flight, sharing memories from his previous two visits to space and thoughts on what's in store for him and his crewmates.

"To deal with pre-flight jitters I focus on what matters, right now, & 1 min from now," he wrote Dec. 18 in response to a follower's question. "The entire event is too big & overwhelming."

Marshburn, Romanenko and Hadfield will join current space station commander Kevin Ford of NASA, and Expedition 34 flight engineers Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin, both cosmonauts. From now, it will take two days for the Soyuz TMA-07M spacecraft to catch up with the space station in orbit. Docking is expected on Friday (Dec. 21) at 9:12 a.m. EST (1412 GMT).

Marshburn, who worked as a NASA flight surgeon before joining the astronaut corps in 2004, has one previous space shuttle flight in 2009 under his belt. Romanenko is also making his second trip to space following a six-month stay on the space station in 2009.

All three men have been training for this mission for years. "It's a two-and-a-half-year flow, so you have more time to get into depth in every subject," Marshburn said of his space station training, contrasting it to the shorter training regimen for space shuttle flights. [Video: Marshburn Talks to SPACE.com]

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American, Canadian, and Russian Spaceflyers Launch to Space Station

ISSS: Station Core (Episode One) - Kerbal Space Program
International Subscriber Space Station: The Kerbal Space Program Show in which Harv takes viewer submitted modules and docks them together in order to assemble one massive, community designed Space Station. In Episode One we start off with the Core, submitted by Twilight #39;s Favourite Quill. Module Submission Thread: bit.ly (Kerbal Space Program Forum) Rules can be found on the above page, you #39;ll require a KSP Forum account to make a submission. LINKS: steamcommunity.com - Steam Group http://www.youtube.com - Channel http://www.youtube.com - More KSP Videos http://www.youtube.com - Test Pilot Submissions Intro/ Outro music is "Sleazy Rider" by Kevin MacLeod. At least, I #39;m 99% sure it is... I downloaded it almost a year ago and now seems to have disappeared off of his website. And the entire internet. All (if any) other music used is in-game or Royalty Free, usually created by the wonderful Kevin MacLeod. Check out his work over at http://www.incompetech.com Kerbal Space Program is available for Pre-Order at http There is also a free demo, if you just want to try the basic game out first. Many thanks to SQUAD, the copyright holders of Kerbal Space Program. No copyright infringement intended. TAGS: "Kerbal Space Program" KSP Harv HOCgaming Tutorial Walkthrough "How To" Docking "Fuel Transfer" "Solar Panels" "Inter-Planetary" "Update 0.18" ISSS "International Subscriber Space Station" "Episode One" Station CoreFrom:HOCgamingViews:1208 84ratingsTime:18:07More inGaming

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Chris Hadfield on Russian Technology
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Zeth and Friends Play Killing Floor: Christmas Special (Part 23)
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International Space Station Project for Girls - Realcomm, Calit2
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STS-133 Discovery - Flight Day 6 - Attaching the PMM
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Kerbal Space Program: Spaced - Ep #08
Wherein, I attempt to build a space station. In space! Buy the game: http://www.kerbalspaceprogram.com "KSP is a game where the players create and manage their own space program. Build spacecraft, fly them, and try to help the Kerbals to fulfill their ultimate mission of conquering space..." Thanks for watching! Like and Subscribe for more.From:mmkofeyhViews:1 0ratingsTime:19:59More inGaming

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KSP: Eclipse as Seen From Space Station
Just something I found while building my space station. Music: Procession of the King by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Game: kerbalspaceprogram.comFrom:Jheguy2Views:0 0ratingsTime:00:54More inGaming

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Rocket Knights Adventures Playthrough Part 3
The 3rd part of my Rocket Knight Adventure playthrough. In the final part of this playthrough Sparkster has a decisive battle with axel gear and Sparkster has to escape the space station thingy.From:syndicateATHViews:4 1ratingsTime:13:11More inPeople Blogs

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MASS EFFECT 3: OMEGA DLC | REVIEW | GINX TV
Shepard might have cleared the galaxy of the Reaper threat, but that doesn #39;t mean that his (or her) work is done just yet. Omega, the latest and largest Mass Effect DLC pack returns us to one of the most recognisable and loved settings from the second game, and it pairs us with one of the feistiest females in the universe. But how has the dingy space station of Omega changed since Mass Effect 2? And can Shepard finally put a leash on the incorrigible Aria T #39;Loak? Find out in our review! But what do you think? Let us know in the comments below! Want to keep up with all our latest content? Just click on that SUBSCRIBE button! Not enough for you? Well... We #39;re on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com We #39;ve got Twitter! http://www.twitter.com And there #39;s also our website as well! http://www.ginx.tvFrom:GinxTelevisionViews:0 0ratingsTime:04:42More inGaming

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Gangnam Style Parodia
earn more about NASA: http://www.nasa.gov Learn more about the International Space Station http://www.nasa.gov Sign up to get space station sighting information sent to you: spotthestation.nasa.gov For students interested in NASA Johnson Space Center: http://www.facebook.com http://www.twitter.com NASA Johnson Style is a volunteer outreach video project created by the students of NASA #39;s Johnson Space Center. It was created as an educational parody of Psy #39;s Gangnam Style. The lyrics and scenes in the video have been re-imagined in order to inform the public about the amazing work going on at NASA and the Johnson Space Center. Special thanks to astronauts Tracy Caldwell Dyson, Mike Massimino and Clay Anderson Special thanks to Mr. Mike Coats, Dr. Ellen Ochoa, and all supporting senior staff membersFrom:periodicoamleonViews:1 0ratingsTime:03:57More inNews Politics

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ISS Update - Dec. 18, 2012
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The 2nd Annual International Space Station (ISS) Research and Development and Conference will be held July 16-18, 2013, at the Denver Marriott City Center.

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2nd Annual International Space Station (ISS) Research and Development and Conference

(Phys.org)—Gravity: It's the law in these parts. But to reach the stars, humans may have to learn to live outside the law.

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Botany experiment will try out zero gravity aboard space station

FunFact: The space station's pantry is stocked with marshmallow Fluff.

You no doubt have seen images taken from the International Space Station. You likely have seen images taken of the International Space Station, too. But do you know what the ISS looks like, wall to wall and "room" to "room"? Do you know what it would be like to call it, in the most meaningful way possible, home?

Now you can. Because astronaut Sunita Williams, on the last day of her recent stay on the orbital laboratory, made a video tour of the place. It is wonderfully detailed, and narrated with the kind of winking wonderment that so many astronauts, as storytellers, seem to have perfected.

Featured in the tour, among other things:

Crew sleep stations, their entrance ports oriented spherically "so all of us sleep in a little bit of a circle"

A home office, complete with computes and books

Science labs filled with various experiments

A home gym, with a stationary "bike" and "weight" machines for squats, bench presses, etc.

A kitchen, filled with baggies of food anchored to a wall. "It's like opening the refrigerator," Williams says. "You've got all the different stuff that you want to have: drinks, meats, eggs, vegetables, cereals, bread, snacks (and that's a good place -- that's where you find all the candy)." There's also a special pantry filled with food items that the astronauts have specifically requested -- in Williams's case, a jar of marshmallow Fluff. ("I like Fluffernutter sandwiches," she explains.)

An airlock -- populated by, among other things, two spacesuits, their helmets shielded with protective covers. Aside from that, though, the suits are pretty much "primed up to 'go outside,' as we call it," Williams says -- by which she means "ready to do a spacewalk." (The suits are huge, by the way, and on Earth would weigh about 300 pounds.) The helmets feature a glare shield -- "sunglasses," Williams says, "which make you look pretty cool." So ultimately, the suit is "a pretty awesome little spacecraft."

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'ISS Cribs': An Astronaut-Guided Tour of the Most Amazing House Ever Built

Telerobotics could eventually help astronauts control robots on Mars.

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Space Station Astronauts to Practice Robot Remote Control