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Soyuz spacecraft returns to Earth from International Space Station

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MOSCOW, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- A Russian Soyuz spacecraft brought three International Space Station crew members and the Olympic torch safely back to Earth Monday morning, NASA said.

The Expedition 37 crew -- commander Fyodor Yurchikhin of Russia and flight engineers Karen Nyberg of the United States and Luca Parmitano of Italy -- landed in Kazakhstan after spending 166 days in space during which time they traveled 70.3 million miles while orbiting the Earth more than 2,600 times.

The Soyuz TMA-09M spacecraft landed on the steppe southeast of Dzhezkazgan at 8:49 a.m. Monday, Kazakh time, NASA said in a release posted to its website.

The U.S. space agency said a Russian recovery team and NASA personnel reached the landing site by helicopter soon after to help the crew and conduct health assessments.

The Olympic torch brought back from the space station will be used to light the Olympic flame at the Feb. 7 opening ceremonies of the 2013 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.

The torch arrived at the space station Thursday aboard the Soyuz TMA-11M spacecraft carrying three new crew members -- Expedition 38 flight engineers Mikhail Tyurin of Russia, Rick Mastracchio of the United States and Koichi Wakata of Japan.

NASA said the arrival of trio was the first time since October 2009 that nine people have served together aboard the space station without the presence of a space shuttle. The station is now under the command of Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov. Flight engineers Sergey Ryazansky and Mike Hopkins of the United States round out the current station crew.

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Soyuz spacecraft returns to Earth from International Space Station

Space Station Crew Lands with Olympic Torch; Finishes 166 Days in Space

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WASHINGTON, Nov. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Expedition 37 crew members Karen Nyberg of NASA, Fyodor Yurchikhin of the Russian Federal Space Agency and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency have returned to Earth from the International Space Station, landing at 9:49 p.m. EST Sunday, Nov. 10 (8:49 a.m.Kazakhstan time, Nov. 11), after spending 166 days in space.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO)

Inside the Soyuz spacecraft carrying the astronauts was the Olympic torch, which was launched to the station Nov. 6 and taken on a spacewalk Saturday as part of the torch relay. The torch will be used to light the Olympic flame at the Fisht Stadium in Sochi, Russia, marking the start of the 2014 Winter Games in February.

Nyberg, Parmitano and Yurchikhin arrived at the station in May, and during their extended stay in space orbited Earth 2,656 times and traveled more than 70 million miles. Parmitano conducted a spacewalk in July, becoming the first Italian to walk in space.

The crew welcomed Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Cygnus cargo spacecraft during its demonstration mission to the station. The trio spent hundreds of hours conducting fundamental research in areas such as human biology, life sciences, physical sciences, Earth sciences, astrophysics and technology research.

Yurchikhin now has logged 537 days in space, spanning four spaceflights. This puts him 12th on the all-time endurance list. Nyberg has accumulated 180 days in space over two missions. This was Parmitano's first mission.

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and makes research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The crew performed research into how plants grow, which may lead to more efficient crops on Earth and improve understanding of how future crews could grow their own food in space. They tested a new portable gas monitor designed to help analyze the environment inside the space station and continued fuel and combustion experiments undertaken by past crews. The crew also collected data and samples that will be used to help scientists understand ocular health issues of space station crew members and understand changes to body measurements during spaceflight.

The space station has had continuous human occupation since November 2000. In that time it has been visited by more than 200 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in exploration, including future missions to an asteroid and Mars.

For more information about the International Space Station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

SOURCE NASA

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Space Station Crew Lands with Olympic Torch; Finishes 166 Days in Space

Space Station crew finishes 166 days in space

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Washington, Nov 11 : Expedition 37 crew members Karen Nyberg of NASA, Fyodor Yurchikhin of the Russian Federal Space Agency and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency have returned to Earth from the International Space Station, landing at 9:49 p.m. EST Sunday, Nov. 10 (8:49 a.m. Kazakhstan time, Nov. 11), after spending 166 days in space.

Inside the Soyuz spacecraft carrying the astronauts was the Olympic torch, which was launched to the station Nov. 6 and taken on a spacewalk Saturday as part of the torch relay.

The torch will be used to light the Olympic flame at the Fisht Stadium in Sochi, Russia, marking the start of the 2014 Winter Games in February.

Nyberg, Parmitano and Yurchikhin arrived at the station in May, and during their extended stay in space orbited Earth 2,656 times and traveled more than 70 million miles. Parmitano conducted a spacewalk in July, becoming the first Italian to walk in space.

The crew welcomed Orbital Sciences Corp.'s Cygnus cargo spacecraft during its demonstration mission to the station. The trio spent hundreds of hours conducting fundamental research in areas such as human biology, life sciences, physical sciences, Earth sciences, astrophysics and technology research.

Yurchikhin now has logged 537 days in space, spanning four spaceflights. This puts him 12th on the all-time endurance list. Nyberg has accumulated 180 days in space over two missions. This was Parmitano's first mission.

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and makes research breakthroughs not possible on Earth.

The crew performed research into how plants grow, which may lead to more efficient crops on Earth and improve understanding of how future crews could grow their own food in space.

They tested a new portable gas monitor designed to help analyze the environment inside the space station and continued fuel and combustion experiments undertaken by past crews.

The crew also collected data and samples that will be used to help scientists understand ocular health issues of space station crew members and understand changes to body measurements during spaceflight.

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Space Station crew finishes 166 days in space

Soyuz spacecraft undocks from International Space Station

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Updated at 10:45 p.m. EST

Three station fliers strapped into their Soyuz TMA-09M ferry craft, undocked from the International Space Station and plunged back to Earth Sunday, settling to a jarring rocket-assisted landing on the frigid steppe of Kazakhstan to close out a 166-day stay in space.

Packed safely away in the Soyuz spacecraft was an Olympic torch that was launched last Wednesday with another three-person crew and carried outside the station Saturday for a dramatic spacewalk photo op. Olympic organizers plan to use the torch in the opening ceremonies of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

Within minutes of touchdown, Russian recovery crews converged on the spacecraft to help the returning station crew out of the cramped descent module for initial medical checks and satellite phone calls to friends and family back home. The Olympic torch also was pulled from the capsule and shown on live television from the landing site.

The Soyuz descent module ended up on its side, but commander Fyodor Yurchikhin, European Space Agency flight engineer Luca Parmitano and NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg appeared in good health as they relaxed in nearby recliners, covered by blankets to ward off sub-freezing temperatures.

Yurchikhin held the Olympic torch throughout the initial recovery operation, posing for photographers and carefully waving it about.

The trip home began at 6:26 p.m. EST when the Soyuz TMA-09M spacecraft undocked from the aft port of the space station's Zvezda command module. Yurchikhin monitored the undocking from the cockpit's center seat, flanked on the left by Parmitano and on the right by Nyberg.

"We are feeling the separation," Yurchikhin radioed as springs in the docking mechanism pushed the Soyuz away.

"Have a good flight," someone called.

"Thank you, thank you all."

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Soyuz spacecraft undocks from International Space Station

Space station trio brings Olympic torch back down to Earth

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Shamil Zhumatov / EPA

Soyuz commander Fyodor Yurchikhin grins as he holds an Olympic torch after landing with two other spacefliers from the International Space Station in Kazakhstan on Monday. The torch will play a role in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games.

A Russian Soyuz space capsule landed safely on the steppes of Kazakhstan, returning three spacefliers to Earth along with one other precious item: the Olympic torch.

The Soyuz spacecraft landed at 8:49 a.m. local time Monday (9:49 p.m. ET Sunday) under a clear blue sky in central Kazakhstan. Frigid temperatures greeted the returning space travelers Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg and Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano after five and a half months in space.

"The initial reports indicate a bull's eye landing for the Soyuz TMA-09M spacecraft and its crew," NASA spokesman Rob Navias said during the space agency's televised landing commentary. [See more landing day photos for Soyuz crew]

Yurchikhin, Nyberg and Parmitano flew up to the International Space Station in late May and formed part of the outpost's six-person Expedition 37 crew, which Yurchikhin commanded. Before departing the station Sunday, Yurchikhin handed command of the station over to fellow cosmonaut Oleg Kotov, who now leads the station's Expedition 38 crew.

"Bye, station," Yurchikhin said as the Soyuz undocked on Sunday.

"Bye-bye," Nyberg added.

"See you, soon," Parmitano chimed in.

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Space station trio brings Olympic torch back down to Earth


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