[Home]  [Headlines]  [Latest Articles]  [Latest Comments]  [Post]  [Sign-in]  [Mail]  [Setup]  [Help] 

Status: Not Logged In; Sign In

Britain must prepare for civil war | David Betz

The New MAGA Turf War Over National Intelligence

Happy fourth of july

The Empire Has Accidentally Caused The Rebirth Of Real Counterculture In The West

Workers install 'Alligator Alcatraz' sign for Florida immigration detention center

The Biggest Financial Collapse in China’s History Is Here, More Terrifying Than Evergrande!

Lightning

Cash Jordan NYC Courthouse EMPTIED... ICE Deports 'Entire Building

Trump Sparks Domestic Labor Renaissance: Native-Born Workers Surge To Record High As Foreign-Born Plunge

Mister Roberts (1965)

WE BROKE HIM!! [Early weekend BS/nonsense thread]

I'm going to send DOGE after Elon." -Trump

This is the America I grew up in. We need to bring it back

MD State Employee may get Arrested by Sheriff for reporting an Illegal Alien to ICE

RFK Jr: DTaP vaccine was found to have link to Autism

FBI Agents found that the Chinese manufactured fake driver’s licenses and shipped them to the U.S. to help Biden...

Love & Real Estate: China’s new romance scam

Huge Democrat shift against Israel stuns CNN

McCarthy Was Right. They Lied About Everything.

How Romans Built Domes

My 7 day suspension on X was lifted today.

They Just Revealed EVERYTHING... [Project 2029]

Trump ACCUSED Of MASS EXECUTING Illegals By DUMPING Them In The Ocean

The Siege (1998)

Trump Admin To BAN Pride Rainbow Crosswalks, DoT Orders ALL Distractions REMOVED

Elon Musk Backing Thomas Massie Against Trump-AIPAC Challenger

Skateboarding Dog

Israel's Plans for Jordan

Daily Vitamin D Supplementation Slows Cellular Aging:

Hepatitis E Virus in Pork


Science/Tech
See other Science/Tech Articles

Title: Russian Space Capsule Lands Safely With 3 Aboard
Source: Associated Press
URL Source: [None]
Published: Apr 8, 2009
Author: Associated Press
Post Date: 2009-04-08 12:47:53 by Brian S
Ping List: *Russia*     Subscribe to *Russia*
Keywords: None
Views: 80
Comments: 1

DZHEZKAZGAN, Kazakhstan (AP) — A Russian spacecraft carrying a crew of three including U.S. billionaire space tourist Charles Simonyi landed safely in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, officials said.

The Soyuz capsule touched down around 11:15 a.m. (0715 GMT, 3:15 a.m. EDT) Wednesday, about three hours after leaving the international space station. It descended on parachutes and then hit the ground in a jarring puff of dust and dirt.

Russian and American space officials and relatives of the Soyuz's crew applauded as the landing was announced at Russian Mission Control in Korolyov, on Moscow's northern outskirts.

Within 20 minutes of the landing, Simonyi, Russian Yuri Lonchakov and American Michael Fincke were extracted from the capsule still strapped in their seats and taken outside under bright sunshine for initial medical examination. The three smiled, gave thumbs-ups to cameras and munched on apples before being carried to waiting helicopters.

"It looks like we know how now to take care of our astronauts and cosmonauts in orbit so that they look good on landing," NASA official Brian O'Connor told reporters at a post-landing news conference.

Simonyi's wife of four months, Lisa Persdotter, met him at the landing, giving him a long kiss and bouncing on her toes in excitement.

Almost a year ago, another Soyuz capsule on its way to Earth hurtled through the atmosphere in a steeper-than-normal descent, subjecting the three-nation-crew to severe G-forces and landing hundreds of miles (kilometers) off target.

That incident was the second in a row — and the third since 2003 — that the landing went awry. Russian space officials said Wednesday they were pleased at the apparently flawless touchdown.

"It's very pleasant for me to not have to make any sort of commentary," said Vitaly Lopota, chief of RKK Energiya, which manufacturers the Soyuz craft. "All technical systems of the ship worked excellently, everything went perfectly according to plan."

Simonyi is a former Microsoft executive who became the world's first repeat space tourist when he arrived on the space station on March 28.

He may be the last private traveler the Russians allow to journey to the space station, as the station's permanent crew doubles to six in coming months.

Kazakhstan had planned on sending up its first astronaut later this year, but Anatoly Perminov, chief of Russian space agency Roscosmos, noted that Kazakh officials had decided to cancel the plans. He told reporters that either a regular astronaut or possibly another paying tourist could next travel aboard a Russian craft.

Russia's Soyuz and Progress spacecraft have long been the workhorses of the international efforts to build the space station. The craft will take on even greater importance after 2010 when NASA is expected to retire the space shuttles.

On Tuesday, the Russian space agency Roscosmos awarded an 800-million ruble ($23 million) contract to RKK Energiya design a next-generation spaceship to replace the 40-year-old Soyuz, setting the ground for a potential new space race with the United States. Subscribe to *Russia*

Post Comment   Private Reply   Ignore Thread  


TopPage UpFull ThreadPage DownBottom/Latest

#1. To: Brian S (#0) (Edited)

Simonyi's wife of four months, Lisa Persdotter, met him at the landing, giving him a long kiss and bouncing on her toes in excitement.

The happy couple. Here's what a billion buys in the open market

It's the second mouse that gets the cheese

Flintlock  posted on  2009-04-08   13:21:16 ET  (1 image) Reply   Trace   Private Reply  


TopPage UpFull ThreadPage DownBottom/Latest


[Home]  [Headlines]  [Latest Articles]  [Latest Comments]  [Post]  [Sign-in]  [Mail]  [Setup]  [Help]