Yuri Kochetkov / EPA

International Space Station expedition 40/41 crew members, NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman (right) of the United States, Russian cosmonaut Maxim Suraev (center) and European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst (left) of Germany, practice in Star City, outside Moscow, Russia, on Jan. 23, 2013.

A group of astronauts set out on a camping trip in a snowbound forest outside Moscow on Wednesday, as they took part in a training exercise to practice survival techniques in case of a crash landing. 

The team of three — an American, a Russian and a German — are preparing for a mission to the International Space Station in May 2014.

-- Reuters, European Pressphoto Agency 

Yuri Kochetkov / EPA

Maxim Suraev (left) and Reid Wiseman gather wood to build a shelter.

Sergei Remezov / Reuters

(From left) Maxim Suraev, Gregory Wiseman and Alexander Gerst stand by their shelter.

Sergei Remezov / Reuters

(From left) Maxim Suraev, Alexander Gerst and Gregory Wiseman try to keep warm.

Related:

Next space station crew faces out-of-this-world final exams

Gherman Titov, Russia's forgotten spaceman

More space-related images on PhotoBlog

Erik S. Lesser / EPA

Members of the media view the NASA SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft are seen one day before its scheduled launch at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Friday.

Space.com reports: CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla — Nerves are frayed here on Florida's space coast as commercial company SpaceX prepares to launch its Dragon capsule on the first-ever flight of a private vehicle to the International Space Station.

The milestone mission is being viewed as a test not only of Dragon but of private spaceflight in general. It will be the first commercial spaceship test flight for NASA's new plan to outsource transportation of cargo — and eventually crew — to the space station to the private sector now that the agency's space shuttle fleet is retired.

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Bill Ingalls / NASA via AFP - Getty Images

The Soyuz TMA-04M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on May 15, 2012.

Yuri Kochetkov / EPA

The Soyuz TMA-04M rocket blasts off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday night.

Mikhail Metzel / AP

U.S. astronaut Joseph Acaba, left, Russian cosmonauts Gennady Padalka , center, and Sergei Revin, right, crew members of the mission to the International Space Station.

Bill Ingalls / AP

An Orthodox Christian priest blesses members of the media shortly after blessing the Soyuz rocket at the Baikonur Cosmodrome Launch pad Monday.

Space.com reports: A Russian rocket launched three astronauts toward the International Space Station late Monday night, kicking off a two-day journey to the huge orbiting lab.

The Soyuz is slated to dock with the space station shortly after midnight ET Thursday. Once aboard, the three spacefliers will bring the orbiting complex back to its full complement of six residents. Their fellow Expedition 31 crew members — NASA's Don Pettit, Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko — have had the station to themselves since April 27.

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Shamil Zhumatov / Reuters

An aerial view shows vehicles with their headlights on converging on the Soyuz TMA-02M after the spacecraft landed near the town of Arkalyk in northern Kazakhstan on November 22.

NASA via Getty Images

Russian support personnel help get Expedition 29 crew members out of the Soyuz TMA-02M spacecraft shortly after the capsule landed.

Shamil Zhumatov / Reuters

ISS crew member Russian cosmonaut Sergey Volkov smiles after landing.

The AP reports:

After spending nearly six months aboard the International Space Station, three spacefliers returned home to Earth on Monday.

NASA astronaut Mike Fossum, Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov departed from the space station and landed on the frigid, windy Central Asian steppes of Kazakhstan at about 9:26 p.m. ET Monday (8:26 a.m. local time Tuesday).

After months in orbit, the crew's homecoming featured wintry conditions, with harsh winds, below-freezing temperatures and a layer of snow covering the landing site. When it touched down, the Soyuz capsule landed on its side, which is not uncommon in windy conditions, NASA officials said; otherwise, it was a smooth and successful landing. Continue reading.

Sergei Remizov / AP

Ground personnel carry Japanese astronaut Satoshi Furukawa from the Soyuz capsule minutes after landing.

Previously on PhotoBlog:

• Space station trio makes chilly but safe landing
• Hugs, laughter as crew arrives at International Space Station
• Soyuz spacecraft launched into snow-filled skies
• Russian Soyuz spacecraft takes a train to launchpad

NASA via AFP - Getty Images

Russian commander Anton Shkaplerov being helped as he enters the International Space Station on November 16. The glitch-free docking of the Soyuz TMA-22 came after a textbook launch on Monday and was a huge boost to Russia which postponed the mission in the wake of the disastrous crash of an unmanned supply ship bound for the ISS in August.

Space.com reports:

A spacecraft carrying the three newest residents of the International Space Station safely arrived at the orbiting outpost on Wednesday after a two-day space journey.

NASA astronaut Dan Burbank and Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin reached the space station slightly ahead of schedule, at 12:24 a.m. ET.

The crew conducted an extensive set of leak checks before they opened the hatch of their capsule and floated into the station. The two crews greeted each other with laughter, hugs and warm welcomes. Read the full story.

NASA via AFP - Getty Images

Russian cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin, center, being hugged as he enters the International Space Station on November 16.

Previously on PhotoBlog:

• Soyuz spacecraft launched into snow-filled skies
• Russian Soyuz spacecraft takes a train to launchpad

Mikhail Metzel / AFP - Getty Images

Russia's Soyuz TMA-22 rocket stands at a launch pad in the Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, early on November 14.

msnbc.com staff and news services report from MOSCOW:

Three astronauts were lofted into orbit amid heavy snowfall on Monday, on a mission to bring the crew of the International Space Station back to full strength.

The U.S.-Russian crew is the first to enter orbit since NASA ended its 30-year shuttle program in July, heralding a period of several years when the space station's partners will have to rely solely on Russia to ferry crews. Read the full story.

Previously on PhotoBlog: Russian Soyuz spacecraft takes a train to launchpad

Mikhail Metzel / AP

A Russian Soyuz TMA-22 space ship which will carry a new crew to the International Space Station (ISS) is transported to the launch pad of the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, on Nov. 11. The launch of the new Soyuz mission with U.S. astronaut Dan Burbank, Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin, is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 14.

Vyacheslav Oseledko / AFP - Getty Images

Russian police officers guard the Soyuz TMA-22 rocket during its transportation to the launch pad on Nov. 11.

Vyacheslav Oseledko / AFP - Getty Images

The Soyuz TMA-22 rocket is mounted at the launch pad on Nov. 11.

Mikhail Metzel / AP

The Soyuz TMA-22 rocket is installed at the launch pad on Nov. 11.

A new trio of International Space Station residents, Expedition 29 Flight Engineers Dan Burbank, Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin, are set to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:14 p.m. ET Sunday aboard the Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft, according to NASA.

Five days later Expedition 29 will end when crewmates Commander Mike Fossum and Flight Engineers Satoshi Furukawa and Sergei Volkov return home inside the Soyuz TMA-02M spacecraft.

Related content:

• November 8 - Russian mission to Martian moon stuck in Earth orbit
• November 2 - Russian craft delivers supplies to space station
• September 16 - US-Russian space crew returns safely to Earth
• December 4, 2010 - Soyuz crew prepares for trip to International Space Station