Soyuz craft carrying three-man crew lands safely
ALMATY, Kazakhstan – A Soyuz capsule with two Russians and an American on board touched down safely Friday afternoon in mild weather on the sweeping steppes of central Kazakhstan.
The three-man crew, comprising Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin and NASA’s Daniel Burbank, returned to earth after a 163-day stay on the International Space Station.
The Russian-made module gently landed on schedule at 1145 GMT, throwing up a puff of earth in a remote and dusty location north of the central Kazakh town of Arkalyk.
Eight search-and-rescue helicopters circled the landing site to ensure a speedy recovery process.
NASA television broadcast vivid images of the capsule carried by a parachute swaying slightly as it floated downward in the clear skies while six all-terrain vehicles approached the landing spot in a well-rehearsed procedure.
Comments { }
Postandcourier.com is pleased to offer readers the enhanced ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. Postandcourier.com does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not postandcourier.com. If you find a comment that is objectionable, please click "report abuse" and we will review it for possible removal. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Use and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website. Read our full Terms and Conditions.