But the ISS partners have to make contingencies, and if Soyuz rockets are out of service for a while, the station will see its crew complement reduced - perhaps all the way to zero.

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The International Space Station will gain its full crew complement of six next month, when NASA astronaut Don Pettit, European Space Agency astronaut Andre Kuipers, and cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko launch from Kazakhstan on December 21.

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So why didn't the regulators, shipbuilders or operators make the obvious connection between lifeboat capacity and the total complement of passengers and crew?

WSJ: The Real Reason for the Tragedy of the Titanic

They were also known for having excellent command and control, and communication facilities, making them ideal flagships on deployments, with a complement of about 280 crew.

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Crew women's design, says peplum tops complement "all the slim tailored pants that are in style right now, " which won't make women look bottom heavy.

WSJ: The Peplum: A Fashion Trend That Goes Straight to the Hips

The multi-billion dollar carrier, its complement of multi-million dollar aircraft and a crew of more than 5, 000 Sailors and Marines represent a large investment of our national treasure.

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But then the Russian space program successfully launched a crew of three to the ISS earlier this week, giving the station its first full complement since September.

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