| Story Views | |
| Now: | |
| Last Hour: | |
| Last 24 Hours: | |
| Total: | |
Three Astronauts Come Back to Earth (+Photos)
Three astronauts came back to Earth after about half a year at the International Space Station.
Kevin Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency, Tom Marshburn of NASA, and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko boarded the Soyuz in the middle of May 13, and later landed in southern Kazakhstan. Russian helicopters flew out to pick them up in the middle of a field.
They are replaced by two Russians, Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin, and Chris Cassidy of NASA.
The astronauts tweeted out their feelings before leaving the station. “Leaving is bittersweet,” said Marshburn. “It’s been an unbelievable ride. Can’t wait to see what’s next!”
The space station is constantly manned, and is supposed to last until at least 2020.
The three astronauts, before taking off from the Space Station, bid farewall to the three astronauts who are remaining on the station through September, Russian cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov and flight engineers Alexander Misurkin, also a Russian, and Chris Cassidy, of NASA.
Hadfield officially handed over command of the station to Vinogradov, head of Expedition 36.
Photos: Above, Hadfield, below Marshburn, both from NASA. Further below, the landing site, and Romanenko after landing, both screenshots.
