Rollout of Soyuz TMA-2 Aboard an R7 Rocket
Credit:
Scott Andrews,
NASA
It takes a big rocket to go into space.
In 2003 April, this
huge Russian rocket
was launched toward Earth-orbiting
International Space Station (ISS),
carrying two astronauts who will make up the new Expedition 7 crew.
Seen here during rollout at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the rocket's white top is actually the
Soyuz TMA-2, the most recent version of the
longest serving type of human spacecraft.
The base is a
Russian
R7 rocket, originally developed as a prototype
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile in 1957.
The
rocket spans the width of a football field and
has a fueled mass of about half a million kilograms.
Russian rockets like this remain a primary transportation system to the
International Space Station (ISS).
Last week, a similar rocket
successfully launched a
spaceflight participant
and two
Expedition 12 astronauts to the space station.