while Laliberté completed a privately funded visit to the station before returning aboard Soyuz TMA-14

It represents a genuine line of communication between a specialist collector on Earth and a veteran cosmonaut in orbit

fully automated flight in November 1988—making Levchenko’s Mir expedition an especially important surviving connection to the unrealized era of piloted Soviet shuttle operations

While seemingly humble

On April 12

Expedition 44 - crewsigned NASA glossy photo first man in space while Laliberté completed a privatelyEXPEDITION 44 COMPLETE CREW SIGNED NASA PHOTOGRAPH Official 8 10 Inch Glossy Signed by All Six Astronauts and Cosmonauts An outstanding official NASA Expedition 44 crew photograph, measuring approximately 8 10 inches and hand signed by all six astronauts and cosmonauts who served together aboard the International Space Station. The complete international crew consisted of: Gennady Padalka Roscosmos cosmonaut and Expedition 44 Commander Mikhail