L-7: The traditional tree-planting ceremony at the ‘cosmonaut alley’ in Baikonur. All astronauts that fly on the Soyuz plant a tree before flight. NASA Astronaut Peggy Whitson and Oleg helped me plant mine as they already have a tree from previous Soyuz flights. I took a picture of the trees from all my ESA astronaut friends who flew before me and some are doing better than others – with the cold winter here it is not easy to keep them alive. This tradition started with the first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in 1961, obviously the trees planted by the first cosmonauts are older and bigger.