Astronauts hail from Russia, Japan and the U.S.
Three astronauts from Russia, Japan and the U.S. blasted off for the International Space Station on Wednesday in a cramped Russian Soyuz spacecraft, Reuters reports. Sergei Volkov, Satoshi Furukawa and Michael Fossum are to arrive at the orbital station after a two-day trip from the Kazakh steppe where they launched. When they arrive, they’ll be greeted by NASA’s Ron Garan, and Russia’s Andrew Borisenko and Alexander Samokutyayev, who’ve been on the station since April. Volkov will try to grow cucumbers on the station, and Furukawa will be attempting to grow tomatoes.