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Astronaut Leroy Chiao, Expedition 10 commander and NASA International Space Station (ISS) science officer, gives a hearty "thumbs up" October 14, 2004, during the ride from the suit up facility at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the launch pad as he and his crewmates, cosmonaut Salizhan S. Sharipov, Russia’s Federal Space Agency flight engineer and Soyuz commander, and Russian Space Forces cosmonaut Yuri Shargin prepared for their liftoff to the ISS. Their Soyuz TMA-5 vehicle blasted off at 9:06 a.m. Baikonur time (306 GMT) to begin the two-day trip to the Station.