Inspired by the
traditional movie posters created for American Space Shuttle missions, commander Max Surayev had his own poster made for the Soyuz TMA-16 crew.
It is based on the 1969 Russian film the cosmonauts traditionally watch the night before launch:
"White Sun of the Desert" (Beloye solntse pustyni).
The title was replaced by one of the most famous lines in the movie, which became a popular saying in Russian language for 'reluctant approval': "Customs give the green light!" Of course, "customs" became "Roscosmos".
The poster was revealed today following the approval of the crew by the State Commission. Roscosmos head Anatoli Perminov was presented with a
signed copy. Max, Jeff and Guy were also wearing
T-shirts showing their individual movie characters during the crew press conference later today.