MISSION/STUDY INFORMATION

This expedition was the 39th expedition to the International Space Station. It marked the first time that the ISS was under command of a Japanese astronaut, space veteran Koichi Wakata. This marked the third time that an ISS-crew was led neither by a NASA nor a RSA crew member. Expedition 21 in 2009 and Expedition 35 in 2013 were the two other missions.

The Expedition 38/39 crew were NASA astronaut Rick Mastracchio, Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin and JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata. The Expedition 39/40 crew were Aleksandr Skvortsov, RSA; Oleg Artemyev, RSA; and Steven R. Swanson, NASA.