A Russian Soyuz ferry send undocked from the World House Station and flew again to Earth early Saturday, bringing a Russian cosmonaut, a Belarusian visitor flier and a NASA astronaut to a picture-perfect touchdown at the steppe of Kazakhstan.Soyuz MS-24/70S commander Oleg Novitskiy, flanked at the left through Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus and at the proper through NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara, touched down about 90 miles east of the city of Dzhezkazgan at 3:17 a.m. EDT.
Soyuz commander Oleg Novitskiy (left), Belarusian visitor flier Marina Vasilevskaya (heart) and NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara (proper) bid their house station crewmates farewell earlier than boarding their Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft for the flight again to Earth.
NASA TV
Russians restoration crews have been at the scene inside of mins to lend a hand the returning station fliers out in their cramped Soyuz descent module as they started re-adjusting to the tug of gravity.
For veteran Novitskiy and first-time flier Vasilevskaya, the re-acclimation will have to be fairly simple. They introduced on March 23 aboard the Soyuz MS-25/71S spacecraft at the side of NASA astronaut Tracy Dyson and docked on the station two days later.
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Spending simply two weeks aboard the station, they returned to Earth aboard the older Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft that carried station commander Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub and O’Hara to the lab advanced ultimate September.
The Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft backs clear of the World House Station.
NASA TV
Kononenko and Chub are halfway via a yearlong keep in house. They plan to go back to Earth subsequent September, at the side of Dyson, the usage of the brand new MS-25 spacecraft delivered through Novitskiy. Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya introduced O’Hara again to Earth aboard the older ferry send she introduced on ultimate September.With landing, O’Hara had logged 204 days off planet, finishing 3,264 orbits protecting 86.6 million miles. She additionally participated in a six-hour 42-minute spacewalk. Novitskiy and Vasilevskya logged 14 days in house, spanning 224 orbits and 5.9 million miles.All 3 seemed wholesome and in just right spirits as they rested on recliners close to their charred Soyuz descent tablet, waited on through make stronger group of workers.
The Soyuz spacecraft lands at the steppe of Kazakhstan to near out a problem-free go back to Earth.
NASA/Invoice Ingalls
“I am crushed with feelings,” stated Vasilevskaya, talking via a translator on NASA TV. “It is one thing implausible. I want all other people on Earth to treasure and cherish what they’ve, as a result of that is valuable.
“I thank all other people of Belarus,” she persevered. “We in reality sought after to stick a bit of longer, however it is nice to be again. It was once superior to be on board the station.”Vasilevskaya, an completed ballroom dancer and flight attendant with Belavia Airways, is the primary citizen of Belarus, a staunch best friend of Russia, to fly in house because the breakup of the Soviet Union.Whilst family members between america and Russia stay at or close to Chilly Warfare ranges, the 2 countries proceed to cooperate in house, collectively running the World House Station.For her section, Dyson stated earlier than release that she loved coaching with Vasilevskaya, including “she’s been an actual pride to paintings with.”
O’Hara chats with make stronger group of workers after being pulled from the Soyuz descent module at the steppe of Kazakhstan. Touchdown closed out a 204-day flight for O’Hara whilst her two Soyuz crewmates spent simply 14 days in orbit, turning in a contemporary ferry send to the station and bringing O’Hara house aboard the similar spacecraft she introduced on ultimate September.
NASA TV
After temporary scientific tests and satellite tv for pc telephone calls house to friends and family, the trio was once to be flown to Karaganda through helicopter. From there, O’Hara will head house to Houston aboard a NASA jet whilst Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya fly again to Big name Town close to Moscow.
Left in the back of in house have been ISS commander Kononenko, Chub, Dyson, cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin and NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps.O’Hara’s go back to Earth finished a fancy collection of flights to interchange 5 of the distance station’s seven long-duration workforce participants.NASA first introduced Dominick, Barratt, Epps and Grebenkin to the station March 3 aboard a SpaceX Group Dragon spacecraft. They changed 4 different fliers who returned to Earth aboard every other Group Dragon.That cleared the best way for release of Novitskiy, Vasilevskaya and Dyson, turning in a contemporary Soyuz and the NASA veteran to the station after which bringing O’Hara again to Earth.
Extra
William Harwood
Invoice Harwood has been protecting the U.S. house program full-time since 1984, first as Cape Canaveral bureau leader for United Press World and now as a expert for CBS Information.
