Indiana astronaut Kevin Ford is in Russia preparing for a launch this month to the International Space Station.

 The Blackford County native is leaving October 23rd to join the Russian team as the Expedition Commander for a four-and-a-half month mission.

Ford says they've had a lot of training on various science projects dealing with fluid dynamics, combustion, medicine, and various kinds of things.  The expedition will mark Ford's second space flight. Ford previously served as pilot aboard space shuttle Discovery on its mission to the station in September 2009.

"There's very little room for cargo at all. Functionally its a different space craft than the space shuttle was" 

The 52-year-old is from Montpelier, and graduated from Blackford High School in 1978.   Ford says he thinks of his home state a lot. 

"I was up there in the summer time and we went up to some of the lakes in Northern Indiana and enjoyed time up there. it's just a wonderful state"