Russian Soyuz space capsule lands safely with crew
Friday, November 26, 2010
The Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft has landed safely today in Kazakhstan with International Space Station crew members Fyodor Yurchikhin, Shannon Walker, and Douglas Wheelock. Walker and Wheelock are both NASA astronauts, while Yurchikhin is a Russian cosmonaut.
The spacecraft landed at 4:46 GMT (11:46 PM yesterday EST), ending a five-month stay on the International Space Station (ISS) for its crew. They launched on June 15 this year.
During their months aboard the space station, the crew performed scientific experiments as well as maintenance to upkeep the orbital outpost.
The landing was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but was brought forward so as not to interfere with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe summit that is being held on Wednesday and Thursday in Astana, Kazakhstan.
The crew of Soyuz TMA-01M remain aboard the ISS; Russian cosmonauts Aleksandr Kaleri and Oleg Skripochka, and NASA astronaut Scott Kelly.
Sources
- Alissa de Carbonnel. "Russian-U.S. Space Crew Land Safely in Kazakhstan" — ABC News, November 26, 2010
- Denise Chow. "Soyuz capsule lands safely with space station crew" — Space.com, November 26, 2010
- "Soyuz Landing Caps Space Station's First Decade of Expeditions" — NASA, November 25, 2010