The Soyuz program traces its lineage to the first human spaceflight. Part of flying on the Soyuz includes joining that tradition. I wanted to share some of that experience here. Before we leave for Kazakhstan next week, we participated in that tradition and visited Red Square to lay flowers on the memorials of Yuri Gagarin, Sergey Korolev, and other cosmonauts. I’ve read a lot of books on the subject, but it’s hard to imagine what it was like to witness those first space flights. I can only think it was like seeing self-landing rockets, Artemis, and a moonbase become a reality. These next few years will be amazing to witness!

Final exams for Soyuz training: passed. I used to dislike exams, but after a few decades I appreciate the useful stress they create. It sharpens focus, exposes gaps, and helps the crew get ready for the real day. It’s called eustress. Looking forward to July 14.

Before final Soyuz training, I spent a week in Cologne training with ESA for Columbus, the European lab module on station. A lot of spaceflight is careful, practical work: using racks, handling samples, and keeping the science moving on orbit. Had a little help from photoshop with microgravity.

Near impossible goals mean that they are hard, by nature, and may not succeed. However, I’ve never been more confident that we will see them realized.

Last week of training before final exams for Expedition 75. We ran through a day in the life on station: meals, interviews, comms, computers, and routine tasks. Then, of course, a simulated fire. Less than a month to launch.

Packing for space is surprisingly simple on a personal level: bring the bags and keep moving toward launch. As a team, it takes a lot more coordination. Long before we arrive, supplies and science are already on their way through NASA and launch provider teams. Leaving on a jet plane and I do know I’ll be back in 2027.

Watch Starship's twelfth flight test nitter.app/i/broadcasts/1pKkOykQR…

Defintiley worth a staying up late in Europe to watch this one!

Exercise in space is a daily countermeasure, not just a workout. In microgravity, muscles and bones lose the normal loading they get on Earth, so compact systems like ESA’s E4D matter for future exploration missions and moon bases.

My last NBL run at Johnson Space Center with Jessica Watkins. Spacewalk training underwater is demanding, detailed work — and it has been a joy to learn alongside the divers, engineers, and instructors who make it possible.

Practicing for self care in space

We finished integrated training with the broader NASA team, Crew-13, and our crew. Simulated failures are a good reminder that the real work is communication, trust, and knowing when to lean on each other. Excited for six months on station for Expedition 75.

One of my favorite parts of training is celebrating the people who make the mission possible. Hanging the expedition plaque with Chelsea, Molly, Xi, and Katy was a reminder of how many paths and skills come together behind launch day.

Spacewalk training means preparing for the worst so you can perform at your best. SAFER is a small backpack system that uses compressed gas to help an astronaut maneuver back to Station if separated during a spacewalk.

One of the better moments in training was looking over in the NBL and thinking, “wow, I think that’s my wife.” Getting to work alongside Anna there has been a real highlight, and I’m glad this moment made it onto video.

One of the useful things about training is seeing the same task from more than one angle. This session with two amazing NASA engineers (Jenna and Naomi) used virtual reality to help me understand a future spacewalk, building on the work we had already done in the neutral buoyancy lab. It’s a good reminder that learning often improves when you practice the same problem in different ways, whether that’s spaceflight training or the kind of studying most of us have done on Earth. It’s been a helpful strategy in high-school, college, medical school, and astronaut training

A week of pre-flight training is really a week of repetition, learning, and practice. Spaceflight preparation happens step by step, building the familiarity and confidence that matter when the mission begins.

Expedition 75 will bring together three launches and three crews, including Crew-12, Crew-13, and my mission. These patches represent a much broader team effort across NASA and our international partners.

Always amazing to watch these launches! I still remember the awe from 2018! nitter.app/i/broadcasts/1NGaradEp…

I still can’t quite believe I get to work with my wife every day. We started at NASA in 2013, sat about 10 feet apart at SpaceX, and now we’re back at NASA together. This was my 8th NBL run out of 9.