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Astronauts return from outer space
Astana (Kazakhstan), Nov 10: A Russian space capsule carrying two cosmonauts and a Belgian astronaut streaked home from the International Space Station today, landing in the frigid steppes of Kazakhstan.
Astana (Kazakhstan), Nov 10: A Russian space capsule carrying two cosmonauts and a Belgian astronaut streaked home from the International Space Station today, landing in the frigid steppes of Kazakhstan.
The Soyuz capsule landed at 6:04 a.m. local time (0534 IST), about 3.5 hours after it left the space station, according to a spokesman at Russian mission control in Korolyov, outside Moscow. It came to earth in a soft landing about 300 kilometers Southwest of Astana, the Kazakh capital, in plains where the temperature was about minus-10 C (14 F).
The crew consisted of Capt. Sergei Zaletin, Belgian first flight engineer Frank De Winne of the European Space Agency and second flight engineer Yuri Lonchakov. They had taken off on Oct 29 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the former Soviet Central Asian Republic, which Russia uses for its manned space flights. Within about 15 minutes after landing, ground crew in the area opened the hatch of the capsule, which was lying on its side, and found that all three space explorers were in good condition, Russian space officials at the Astana airport said.
Belgium`s Crown Prince Philippe flew by helicopter from Astana to the landing site to be among the first to greet De Winne.
De Winne conducted a range of experiments aboard the space station related to genetic engineering, including the effects of radiation and weightlessness on genes, the news agency Itar-Tass reported.
The mission came amid concerns that Russia may reduce its contribution to the International Space Station in connection with the US decision to cut funding for the project.
The crew consisted of Capt. Sergei Zaletin, Belgian first flight engineer Frank De Winne of the European Space Agency and second flight engineer Yuri Lonchakov. They had taken off on Oct 29 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the former Soviet Central Asian Republic, which Russia uses for its manned space flights. Within about 15 minutes after landing, ground crew in the area opened the hatch of the capsule, which was lying on its side, and found that all three space explorers were in good condition, Russian space officials at the Astana airport said.
Belgium`s Crown Prince Philippe flew by helicopter from Astana to the landing site to be among the first to greet De Winne.
De Winne conducted a range of experiments aboard the space station related to genetic engineering, including the effects of radiation and weightlessness on genes, the news agency Itar-Tass reported.
The mission came amid concerns that Russia may reduce its contribution to the International Space Station in connection with the US decision to cut funding for the project.
Bureau Report