New Crew Tied To Gagarin Set For Launch

Just a week before the 50th anniversary of the historic launch of Yuri Gagarin, a U.S astronaut who grew up believing he had family ties to the world's first spaceman is slated to set sail today for the International Space Station.

As a kid in Yonkers, N.Y., Ronald Garan's grandfather used to tell him a story about his great grandfather immigrating to America from Russia.

His name: Ivan Gagarin.

Check out the amazing story HERE.

The launch of Garan and two cosmonaut colleagues is scheduled to take place at 6:18 p.m. EDT. You can watch live NASA TV coverage here in The Flame Trench starting at 5:30 p.m. Click the NASA TV box on the right to launch our NASA TV viewer and live coverage.

ABOUT THE IMAGE: Click to enlarge this Associated Press image, which was made with an in camera multiple exposure, showing the scene as service towers lift to the Russian Soyuz TMA-21 space ship that will carry new crew to the International Space Station, ISS, at the launch pad in Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Saturday, April 2, 2011. Photo credit: AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)