NASA Chief Astronaut Peggy Whitson, left, welcomes Astronaut Catherine Coleman back to Earth, following a 159-day voyage to the International Space Station. Photo Credit/NASA TV
Three U. S., Russian and Italian members of the International Space Station crew descended to Earth late Monday. landing under parachute aboard their Soyuz capsule south of Karaganda in Kazakhstan.
The capsule touched down at 10:26 p.m. EDT, ending a 159-day voyage for NASA’s Catherine Coleman, Russia’s Dmitry Kondratyev and Paolo Nespoli of the European Space Agency.
The operation was carried out so as not to interfere with the activities of the shuttle Endeavour’s six astronauts, who have been docked to the station since May 18.
As he backed the Soyuz spacecraft away from the station’s Rassvet docking port, Kondratyev paused at a separation of 600 feet, while Nespoli floated from the descent module of the Soyuz capsule the habitation compartment with electronic still and high definition video cameras. Nespoli returned after capturing a “portrait” of Endeavour, while the winged orbiter was docked to the fully assembled orbital outpost.
Departing Soyuz crew snaps photos of shuttle Endeavour, visible at the top of the structure, docked at the fully assembled International Space Station. Photo Credit/NASA TV
Kondratyev, Coleman and Nespoli greeted a parade of unmanned Japanese, European and Russian supply ships as well as the crews of the final Discovery and Endeavour missions.
With the departure, cosmonaut Andrey Borisenko assumed command of the station and the Expedition 28 crew that includes fellow Russian Alexander Samokutyaev and Ron Garan, of NASA. The trio arrived in early April.
Kondratyev’s crew lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Dec. 15, and docked with the station two days later.
The recovery forces were to fly the Soyuz crew to Karaganda for medical checks. Coleman and Nespoli were to board a NASA jet for Houston, Texas. Kondratyev was to be flown to Star City, Russia.
Another Soyuz capsule with cosmonaut Sergei Volkov, NASA’s Mike Fossum and Satoshi Furukawa, of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is scheduled for launching from Baikonur on June 7.
Their June 9 docking will unite the newcomers with space station Borisenko, Samokutyaev and Garan.