The SpaceX Dragon capsule returned to Earth on Tuesday with a full science load from the International Space Station.

The privately owned cargo ship splashed down in the Pacific, off the coast of Mexico's Baja Peninsula, five hours after leaving the orbiting lab. The California-based SpaceX confirmed the Dragon's safe arrival via Twitter.

"Special delivery! Dragon now being recovered in the Pacific," the company said in a tweet.

The capsule brought back more than 1 ton of science experiments and old station equipment. It's the only supply ship capable of two-way delivery. NASA is paying SpaceX more than $1 billion for a dozen resupply missions.

The unmanned capsule will be shipped to Los Angeles arriving Wednesday night and then trucked to Texas for unloading.

Earlier in the day, astronauts released the unmanned capsule from the end of the space station's giant Canadarm2 robot arm. The 400-kilometre-high parting was a poignant moment for the three space station's residents, who helped to snare the Dragon three weeks earlier.

"Sad to see the Dragon go," astronaut Thomas Marshburn told Mission Control. "Performed her job beautifully. Heading back to her lair. Wish her all the best for the splashdown today."

The Dragon used old-NASA-style parachutes to plop into the ocean; company officials indicated all appeared to go well during the re-entry.

SpaceX launched the capsule from Cape Canaveral at the beginning of March. Mechanical trouble caused a one-day postponement in Dragon's arrival at the space station. SpaceX flight controllers at company headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., managed to fix the problem within hours.

Bad weather at mission's end in the Pacific recovery zone kept it in orbit an extra day.

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Private space cargo ship returns from space station

A privately owned cargo ship left the International Space Station with a full science load Tuesday and aimed for a splashdown in the Pacific.

Astronauts released the unmanned SpaceX capsule, named Dragon, from the end of the space station's giant robot arm, Canadarm2 at 6:56 a.m. ET. The parting occurred 400 kilometres over the South Pacific and was a poignant moment for the three space station residents, who had helped to snare the Dragon three weeks earlier.

"Sad to see the Dragon go," astronaut Thomas Marshburn told Mission Control. "Performed her job beautifully. Heading back to her lair. Wish her all the best for the splashdown today."

The Dragon was due to splash down off the Baja California coast 5 hours after its space station departure. It will be transported by ship to Los Angeles and then by truck to the SpaceX company's plant in McGregor, Texas.

Within hours, NASA will retrieve the science samples meticulously collected over the weeks and months by space station astronauts, as well as experiments that flew up with Dragon, such as flowering weeds and mouse stem cells. Old space station equipment and other items will be removed by SpaceX in McGregor. In all, more than a tonne of gear was loaded into the capsule.

Dragon's return to Earth was delayed one day by bad weather in the splashdown zone.

The California-based SpaceX company launched the Dragon from Cape Canaveral, Fla., at the beginning of March. Mechanical trouble caused a one-day postponement in Dragon's arrival at the space station. SpaceX flight controllers at company headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., managed to fix the problem within hours.

SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp. is run by billionaire Elon Musk, who made his fortune as a co-creator of PayPal. He also owns the electric car maker Tesla Motors.

NASA is paying SpaceX to resupply the space station. This was the second flight of a Dragon to the orbiting outpost under the $1.6 billion contract, and the third delivery mission altogether for SpaceX. The next flight is slated for late fall.

A competitor, Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., plans a test flight of its Antares rocket and a dummy payload next month. That launch will be conducted from Wallops Island, Va.

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Private cargo ship en route from space station

SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule splashed down in the Pacific today carrying samples and trash from the International Space Station. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

By Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News

SpaceX said its robotic Dragon capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, bringing back more than a ton of cargo from the International Space Station.

"Welcome home!" the California-based company said in a Twitter update, heralding the Dragon's return to Earth after more than three weeks in space. SpaceX said its recovery crew watched the spacecraft descend to the sea at the end of its parachutes, and a ship headed to the site to haul the capsule aboard and bring it back to port.

"Time to go fishing!" the Canadian Space Agency said in a congratulatory tweet.

The on-time splashdown came at 12:34 p.m. ET, five and a half hours after the Dragon was released from the grip of the space station's robotic arm. "It looks both beautiful and nominal from here," Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, the station's commander, reported as the orbital outpost flew 256 miles (411 kilometers) above the Pacific.

NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn said he was "sad to see the Dragon go. ... Performed her job beautifully, heading back to her lair."

This marks the third time that SpaceX's commercial cargo craft has made a round trip to the space station. The first visit, in May 2012, showed NASA that the California-based company could deliver payloads safely. Last October, another Dragon took on the first of 12 cargo runs under the terms of a $1.6 billion contract with the space agency. This latest mission launched on March 1, carrying 1,200 pounds (544 kilograms) of supplies and equipment.

SpaceX had to cope with a post-launchglitch involving the Dragon's thruster system, but the mission went swimmingly after that. Astronauts unloaded the cargo soon after its was brought in for its berthing at the station, and then refilled it with 2,600 pounds (1,180 kilograms) of payload items due to be returned to Earth including scientific experiments, station hardware and trash. Packaging brought the total weight past the 3,000-pound (1,360-kilogram) mark, SpaceX said.

NASA said the plant samples that were brought back from the station could help scientists enhance crop production on Earth and develop food production systems for future space missions. Other experiments carried by the Dragon could help in the development of more efficient solar cells, detergents and electronics.

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SpaceX Dragon capsule splashes down with ton of space station cargo

Oil drilling draws a circuit board on the ochre landscape. pic.twitter.com/piYgOCsWYQ

Tonight's Finale: The Richat Structure. A giant gazing eye upon the Earth. pic.twitter.com/Uqv9JSh17b

An angry thunderstorm stands out against infinity. pic.twitter.com/du78qXnViK

Mt Etna, pouring heat and steam and smoke up through the snowcap. Earth never ceases to amaze. pic.twitter.com/xVjJ9oiwkW

Cloud over western Europe, rippled like water over a stone. pic.twitter.com/nlryEezlwh

Perth on the Swan to the sea, Western Australia. pic.twitter.com/MvrIuCs8eT

In this photo posted on Twitter by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield on Jan. 7, 2013, the Greek Island of Corfu is shown. Hadfield is on a five-month visit to the space station and will become the first Canadian to take command of the giant orbiting laboratory in March. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press via NASA,Chris Hadfield)

RE-TRANS FOR HIGHER RESOLUTION - This Tuesday Jan. 8, 2013 photo provided by NASA, taken by Astronaut Chris Hadfield from the International Space Station, shows a view of the wildfire near Burrinjuck Dam in Australia. Look closely and you can see the flames from orbit. (AP Photo/NASA, Chris Hadfield)

In this photo posted on Twitter by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield on Jan. 7, 2013, corn rows of sand, tightly sculpted by wind, heat and time is shown in Saudi Arabia. Hadfield is on a five-month visit to the space station and will become the first Canadian to take command of the giant orbiting laboratory in March. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press via NASA,Chris Hadfield)

In this photo posted on Twitter by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield on Jan. 6, 2013, a Noctilucent Cloud, a rare super high altitude cloud barely visible from Earth, is seen at dawn in the mesosphere from International Space Station. Hadfield is on a five-month visit to the space station and will become the first Canadian to take command of the giant orbiting laboratory in March. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press via NASA,Chris Hadfield)

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PICS: Space Station Commander Watches Water Bubble In Space

SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule splashed down in the Pacific today carrying samples and trash from the International Space Station. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

By Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News

SpaceX said its robotic Dragon capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, bringing back more than a ton of cargo from the International Space Station.

"Welcome home!" the California-based company said in a Twitter update, heralding the Dragon's return to Earth after more than three weeks in space. SpaceX said its recovery crew watched the spacecraft descend to the sea at the end of its parachutes, and a ship headed to the site to haul the capsule aboard and bring it back to port.

"Time to go fishing!" the Canadian Space Agency said in a congratulatory tweet.

The on-time splashdown came at 12:34 p.m. ET, five and a half hours after the Dragon was released from the grip of the space station's robotic arm. "It looks both beautiful and nominal from here," Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, the station's commander, reported as the orbital outpost flew 256 miles (411 kilometers) above the Pacific.

NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn said he was "sad to see the Dragon go. ... Performed her job beautifully, heading back to her lair."

This marks the third time that SpaceX's commercial cargo craft has made a round trip to the space station. The first visit, in May 2012, showed NASA that the California-based company could deliver payloads safely. Last October, another Dragon took on the first of 12 cargo runs under the terms of a $1.6 billion contract with the space agency. This latest mission launched on March 1, carrying 1,200 pounds (544 kilograms) of supplies and equipment.

SpaceX had to cope with a post-launchglitch involving the Dragon's thruster system, but the mission went swimmingly after that. Astronauts unloaded the cargo soon after its was brought in for its berthing at the station, and then refilled it with 2,600 pounds (1,180 kilograms) of payload items due to be returned to Earth including scientific experiments, station hardware and trash. Packaging brought the total weight past the 3,000-pound (1,360-kilogram) mark, SpaceX said.

NASA said the plant samples that were brought back from the station could help scientists enhance crop production on Earth and develop food production systems for future space missions. Other experiments carried by the Dragon could help in the development of more efficient solar cells, detergents and electronics.

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SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule leaves space station , heads for splashdown

For the astronauts living on the International Space Station, it's time to put away their toys.

Hundreds of LEGO toy bricks will soon be Earth-bound after spending two years circling the planet as part of an educational partnership between the Danish toy company and NASA. The astronauts have packed the iconic multi-color toys aboard SpaceX's Dragon, an unmanned commmercial cargo spacecraft, which is scheduled to leave the space station and splash down in the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday (March 26).

The LEGO toy sets, all 13 of them, are landing with about 2,700 pounds (1225 kilograms) of cargo, including science samples from human research, biology and biotechnology studies and physical science investigations, as well as no longer needed equipment. The SpaceX Dragon is the only cargo capsule presently flying that is able to return station supplies to the ground, including experiments.

Launched in 2011 on the final mission of the space shuttle Endeavour, the LEGO toys were used by the station crew members to demonstrate the effects of weightlessness on simple machines, including a trundle wheel, hammer and balance beam. The astronauts built the devices from the LEGO bricks and then filmed videos of them working with their creations.

The videos were then transmitted to the ground for use in classrooms. Students could build the same models they saw in space and use them to compare how they worked with the devices floating in orbit. [Intrepid Toys in Space (Photo Gallery)]

"I think most kids worldwide know what a LEGO brick is," former shuttle astronaut Leland Melvin, NASA's Associate Administrator for Education, told collectSPACE in a recent interview. "It is basically intrinsic in most kids' DNA what a LEGO brick is and I think the partnership has helped us let children see that they could build and develop in a 1-g [gravity] environment and then have them start to think about what it would be like for the device to exist, to work, or not work in a zero-g environment."

The LEGO models, which for safety and simplicity were launched partially assembled, also included replicas of the space shuttle and International Space Station, the latter a 3-foot long (0.9 meters) replica that could only be built in space. On Earth, the space station model would collapse under its own weight.

The LEGO toys' two years in space are coming to an end just as NASA has suspended most of its educational and public outreach activities for review. Mandatory spending cuts forced by the government-wide sequester has left the space agency to look for ways to implement cost-saving measures while at the same time minimizing the impacts to its mission-critical activities.

The events' timing is, however, coincidental. The LEGO toys have been slated to return to Earth for some time, as the original terms of the NASA-LEGO partnershipcalled for a set span of in-space activities.

Once back on Earth, some of the space-flown bricks will be returned to LEGO, while others are retained by NASA. According to Matthew Keil, an education specialist in the Teaching from Space office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, the well-traveled LEGO models will eventually go on display.

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LEGO Toys Returning from Space Station on Private Cargo Ship

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- A privately owned cargo ship left the International Space Station with a full science load Tuesday and aimed for a splashdown in the Pacific.

Astronauts released the unmanned SpaceX capsule, named Dragon, from the end of the space station's giant robot arm. The parting occurred 250 miles over the South Pacific and was a poignant moment for the three space station residents, who had helped to snare the Dragon three weeks earlier.

"Sad to see the Dragon go," astronaut Thomas Marshburn told Mission Control. "Performed her job beautifully. Heading back to her lair. Wish her all the best for the splashdown today."

The Dragon was due to splash down off the Baja California coast 5 hours after its space station departure. It will be transported by ship to Los Angeles and then by truck to the SpaceX company's plant in McGregor, Texas.

Within hours, NASA will retrieve the science samples meticulously collected over the weeks and months by space station astronauts, as well as experiments that flew up with Dragon, such as flowering weeds and mouse stem cells. Old space station equipment and other items will be removed by SpaceX in McGregor. In all, more than 1 ton of gear was loaded into the capsule.

Dragon's return to Earth was delayed one day by bad weather in the splashdown zone.

The California-based SpaceX company launched the Dragon from Cape Canaveral, Fla., at the beginning of March. Mechanical trouble caused a one-day postponement in Dragon's arrival at the space station. SpaceX flight controllers at company headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif., managed to fix the problem within hours.

SpaceX Space Exploration Technologies Corp. is run by billionaire Elon Musk, who made his fortune as a co-creator of PayPal. He also owns the electric car maker Tesla Motors.

NASA is paying SpaceX to resupply the space station. This was the second flight of a Dragon to the orbiting outpost under the $1.6 billion contract, and the third delivery mission altogether for SpaceX. The next flight is slated for late fall.

A competitor, Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., plans a test flight of its Antares rocket and a dummy payload next month. That launch will be conducted from Wallops Island, Va.

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SpaceX Dragon cargo ship leaves space station

SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule splashed down in the Pacific today carrying samples and trash from the International Space Station. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.

By Alan Boyle, Science Editor, NBC News

SpaceX said its robotic Dragon capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, bringing back more than a ton of cargo from the International Space Station.

"Welcome home!" the California-based company said in a Twitter update, heralding the Dragon's return to Earth after more than three weeks in space. SpaceX said its recovery crew watched the spacecraft descend to the sea at the end of its parachutes, and a ship headed to the site to haul the capsule aboard and bring it back to port.

"Time to go fishing!" the Canadian Space Agency said in a congratulatory tweet.

The on-time splashdown came at 12:34 p.m. ET, five and a half hours after the Dragon was released from the grip of the space station's robotic arm. "It looks both beautiful and nominal from here," Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, the station's commander, reported as the orbital outpost flew 256 miles (411 kilometers) above the Pacific.

NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn said he was "sad to see the Dragon go. ... Performed her job beautifully, heading back to her lair."

This marks the third time that SpaceX's commercial cargo craft has made a round trip to the space station. The first visit, in May 2012, showed NASA that the California-based company could deliver payloads safely. Last October, another Dragon took on the first of 12 cargo runs under the terms of a $1.6 billion contract with the space agency. This latest mission launched on March 1, carrying 1,200 pounds (544 kilograms) of supplies and equipment.

SpaceX had to cope with a post-launchglitch involving the Dragon's thruster system, but the mission went swimmingly after that. Astronauts unloaded the cargo soon after its was brought in for its berthing at the station, and then refilled it with 2,600 pounds (1,180 kilograms) of payload items due to be returned to Earth including scientific experiments, station hardware and trash. Packaging brought the total weight past the 3,000-pound (1,360-kilogram) mark, SpaceX said.

NASA said the plant samples that were brought back from the station could help scientists enhance crop production on Earth and develop food production systems for future space missions. Other experiments carried by the Dragon could help in the development of more efficient solar cells, detergents and electronics.

Read the rest here:

SpaceX Dragon capsule splashed down with space station cargo

By Irene Klotz

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A Space Exploration Technologies' Dragon cargo capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, bringing back science experiments and gear from the International Space Station.

The spacecraft left the orbital outpost at 6:56 a.m. ET, and parachuted into the ocean about 225 miles west of Mexico's Baja California at 12:34 p.m. ET.

"Recovery ship just heard the sonic booms from Dragon re-entry and has data transmission lock," Elon Musk, founder and chief executive of the privately held company known as SpaceX, wrote on Twitter just before splashdown.

A minute later, recovery ship personnel reported seeing Dragon's parachutes, Musk said.

"Recovery ship has secured Dragon," Musk wrote. "Cargo looks A-OK."

The ship will take the capsule to the Port of Los Angeles, near the company's Hawthorne, California, headquarters, a journey expected to take about 30 hours.

Dragon's return began 252 miles above Earth when astronauts aboard the station used a robotic crane to pluck the capsule from its berthing port and set it into orbit.

SpaceX flight controllers then stepped in and remotely commanded Dragon to fire its steering thrusters and begin the 5.5-hour journey home.

"It looks beautiful from here," station flight engineer Thomas Marshburn radioed to Mission Control in Houston as the capsule flew away.

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SpaceX Dragon capsule returns from International Space Station

MOSCOW, March 23 (RIA Novosti) The return of the US Dragon space freighter from the International Space Station (ISS) to Earth has been postponed by one day due to poor weather conditions, NASA reported Friday.

More than three weeks after arriving at the station, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is ready for the trip back to Earth, now scheduled for Tuesday, March 26, NASA said on its website.

Dragon's return date, originally scheduled for March 25, was postponed due to inclement weather developing near its targeted splashdown site in the Pacific Ocean, it said.

A Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon spacecraft blasted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on March 1. The docking with the space station was performed on March 3, one day later than scheduled due to a thruster failure.

The Dragon brought some 550 kilograms (1,212 pounds) of cargo to the ISS, and will take back to Earth over 1 metric ton of load.

RIA Novosti.

Falcon 9 and Dragon

It was the second of at least 12 flights to the ISS that US private company SpaceX carried out under its $1.6 billion Commercial Resupply Services contract.

Last year, the Dragon made a demonstration flight to the space station in May and carried out the first resupply mission in October, delivering more than 450 kg (1,000 pounds) of cargo to the ISS.

Dragons third mission to the space station is expected in the fall of 2013. The spacecraft will be launched on board a modernized version of the Falcon 9 rocket.

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Dragon Return from Space Station Postponed – NASA

Sure, we know theres no screaming in space. But theres also no flushing. And no hair brushing.

Pay attention, because these are things you too can learn by watching former International Space Station Commander Sunita Williams walkor should we say, float her waythrough a typical morning in space.

Spoiler alert: Zero gravity is a pain in the neck, and other places.

First, Williams is a perfect host for a video tour: Shes a veteran space traveler with 195 days of space flightthe longest time in space for a woman. And she lived on the space station for four months.

As the astronaut explains on the NASA video, sleeping on the space station is very different from snoozing in your comfy bed on planet Earth. Instead, there are sleep pods and sleeping bagsand it doesnt matter if your bed is located upside down or sideways. Your body wont know the difference. Each cubby also comes equipped with a docked laptop and personal items, like clothes.

Once you get up, its time for the morning routine. Tooth brushing isnt all that foreignand yes, you still do it, even so far from home. The toothpaste is sticky, as Williams explains, and stays on the brush. Even the water cooperates from a tube, although some escapes into a bubble that Williams catches and swallows.

And, as Williams shows with her cloud of hair floating anywhere but on her head, every day is a bad hair day. "See how much better the brush makes my hair look?" She laughs, as she runs a brush through her hair, which continues to stand on end. She adds, "I'm just joking. It still stands up straight." Hair styling seems like a pointless exercise.

However, there are some activities that cant be skipped, and the toilet is one of them. Or rather, two of them. Suffice to say, suction is involved, as is good aim, in the orbital outhouse, as she calls it. Well let you watch to get the details.

Easier to digest: details of making and eating breakfast. The space station kitchen is stocked with American favorites like cereal, eggs and breadsome freeze dried and needing water, others ready to eat. Japanese and Russian foods are also available: It is, after all, an international space station.

Williams confides that the package labeled snacks is the candy stash. The scientist also admits to a Fluffernutter habit, and the space station actually keeps a jar of Fluff on hand so she can indulge (stored in a zip-locked compartment, natch).

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How to live in zero gravity: Take a tour of the International Space Station

HOUSTON -- Three new crew members are set to launch to the International Space Station on a six-hour flight to travel from the launch pad to their destination.

Chris Cassidy of NASA, along with Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), are scheduled to launch in their Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 3:43 p.m. CDT, Thursday, March 28, (2:43 a.m. March 29 Baikonur time). Live coverage on NASA Television begins at 2:30 p.m.

Cassidy, Vinogradov and Misurkin will become the first station crew members to make an expedited trip to the orbiting laboratory. Instead of taking the standard two days to rendezvous and dock with the station, they will need only four orbits of Earth to reach the station. This flight will employ rendezvous techniques used recently with three unpiloted Russian Progress cargo spacecraft.

The crew will dock with the station's Poisk module at 9:32 p.m., with NASA TV coverage beginning at 8:30 p.m. Hatches are scheduled to open between the Soyuz and station at 11:10 p.m., with NASA TV coverage beginning at 10:30 p.m.

Cassidy, Vinogradov and Misurkin will join Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency, Tom Marshburn of NASA and Roman Romanenko of Roscosmos, who have been aboard the outpost since December 2012.

NASA TV also will provide extensive coverage of activities from March 21-27 leading up to the flight. All times are Central:

March 21, Thursday

1 p.m. -- Video File of the Expedition 35/36 crew activities in Baikonur, Kazakhstan

March 25, Monday

11 a.m. -- Video File of the Expedition 35/36 crew activities and Soyuz TMA-08M spacecraft encapsulation in Baikonur, Kazakhstan

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New Space Station Crew Members to Launch and Dock the Same Day

Alien Creature Swims Past International Space Station? 2013 1080p Available
Incredible footage of a translucent type entity caught briefly on NASA #39;s live stream of the International Space Station. The footage cuts off due to NASA pul...

By: StephenHannardADGUK

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Alien Creature Swims Past International Space Station? 2013 1080p Available - Video

[ISS] Space Station Flys over Active Volcano, Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy
The International Space Station flew over the active volcano Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy earlier providing fantastic views of smoking volcano.

By: SpaceVidsNet

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[ISS] Space Station Flys over Active Volcano, Mount Etna in Sicily, Italy - Video

Space Station #39;s first Canadian Commander Chris Hadfield is a social media superstar
Space Station #39;s first Canadian Commander Chris Hadfield is a social media superstar. Uploaded by jewishnewsone on Mar 14 2013. Veteran astronaut Colonel Chris Hadfield has made history by becoming the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station A brief ceremony was held aboard the ISS when Hadfield took over the reins of the USD 150 billion space habitat from outgoing US Commander Kevin Ford. Jewish News One.

By: JewishNewsOne

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Space Station's first Canadian Commander Chris Hadfield is a social media superstar - Video

By Irene Klotz

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield took the helm of the International Space Station on Wednesday, only the second time in the outpost's 12-year history that command has been turned over to someone who is not American or Russian.

"It's a huge honor and a privilege for me, but also for all the people at the Canadian Space Agency and for my entire country," Hadfield, 53, said during a change of command ceremony aboard the station broadcast on NASA Television.

"Thank you very much for giving me the keys to the family car," Hadfield told outgoing station commander Kevin Ford, who is due to depart on Thursday along with Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin.

"We're going to put some miles on it, but we'll bring it back in good shape," Hadfield said.

Ford, Novitskiy and Tarelkin have been aboard the station, a $100 billion research laboratory that flies about 250 miles above Earth, since October.

Command of the station, a project of 15 nations that has been permanently staffed since November 2000, normally rotates between primary partners United States and Russia.

But in May 2009, Belgian astronaut Frank De Winne became the first station commander from the European Space Agency.

Hadfield, a veteran of two space shuttle missions, is the station's first Canadian commander.

Hadfield will be part of a three-man skeleton crew until NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin arrive later this month.

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First Canadian takes command of International Space Station

HOUSTON, March 16, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --Three members of the Expedition 34 crew undocked from the International Space Station and returned safely to Earth on Friday, wrapping up a mission lasting more than four and a half months. Expedition 35 now is under way.

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

Station Commander Kevin Ford of NASA and Soyuz Commander Evgeny Tarelkin and Flight Engineer Oleg Novitskiy of the Russian Federal Space Agency undocked their Soyuz TMA-06M spacecraft from the space station at 6:43 p.m. CDT and landed northeast of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, at about 10:10 p.m. (9:10 a.m., March 16, Kazakh time). The trio arrived at the station Oct. 25, 2012, and spent 144 days in space, 142 of which were aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield is in command of Expedition 35. He is the first Canadian to serve as station commander. Hadfield and his crewmates, Tom Marshburn of NASA and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko will work aboard the station until three additional crew members, including NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, arrive in late March.

Ford, Tarelkin, and Novitskiy orbited Earth 2,304 times and traveled almost 61 million miles.

To follow Twitter updates from NASA's Expedition 35 astronauts, visit:

Tweets by astromarshburn

and

Tweets by Cmdr_Hadfield

For more information about the International Space Station and its crew, visit:

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Space Station Astronauts Land Safely In Kazakhstan

Three International Space Station (ISS) crew have returned to earth safely.

The Russian Soyuz capsule carrying them landed in the Kazakhstan steppes a day later than planned due to poor weather conditions.

The Russo-American trio Kevin Ford, Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin had spent 144 days aboard the space station and clocked up 61 million miles in space.

The crews descent took just under four hours. NASA reported that the deorbit burn had gone flawlessly, with the capsule landing upright almost hitting the bulls-eye landing spot through thick fog.

The crew are said to be doing well and will be transported to a post-flight rehabilitation centre.

They leave aboard another three-man crew. Canadian Chris Hadfield took the helm on Wednesday ahead of their departure. It marks the first time a non-American or non-Russian commands the outpost.

Russia remains the only country capable of getting astronauts to and from the ISS since the Americans retired their space shuttles in 2011.

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International Space Station crew land safely in Kazakhstan

MOSCOW (AP) A Soyuz space capsule carrying an American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts landed Saturday morning on the foggy steppes of Kazakhstan, safely returning the three men to Earth after a 144-day mission to the International Space Station.

NASA's Kevin Ford and Russians Oleg Novitsky and Yevgeny Tarelkin had been scheduled to return on Friday, but the landing was postponed by a day because of bad weather.

Live footage on NASA TV showed all three men smiling as they were helped out of the capsule and into reclining chairs to begin their acclimatization to Earth's gravity after nearly five months in space.

A NASA TV commentator said only two of 12 search and rescue helicopters were allowed to land at the touchdown site because of heavy clouds and fog. So instead of being placed in an inflatable medical tent for checks, the astronauts were taken fairly quickly to one of the helicopters. The temperature at the time was well below freezing.

The crew was then flown to Kostanai, the staging site in Kazakhstan, where they posed for more photographs. Ford put on a traditional felt Kazakh hat and draped a matching coat over his flight suit, while holding up a matryoshka nesting doll of himself all souvenirs of the mission that began and ended in the Central Asian country.

The three men blasted off on Oct. 23 from the Baikonur cosmodrome, which Russia leases from Kazakhstan.

Vladimir Popovkin, the head of the Russian space agency, described the crew as "giving off good vibes, that they are a united and friendly team," the Interfax news agency reported.

Space officials said Ford would be flown to Houston, Texas, while the Russians would return to the space training facility outside Moscow.

Their return voyage to Earth began with the Russian-made capsule undocking from the space station at 5:43 a.m. local time (1143gmt Friday) and beginning its slow drift away. The craft made a "flawless entry" back into the Earth's atmosphere, descended through heavy cloud cover and landed perfectly in an upright position at around 9:10 a.m. (0310gmt), the NASA commentator said.

Three other astronauts from Russia, the U.S. and Canada remain at the space station. The next three-man crew two Russians and an American is scheduled to launch from the Baikonur cosmodrome on March 29.

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3 astronauts return to Earth from space station

International Space Station Tour of ISS by NASA Part 1
International Space Station Tour of ISS by NASA. International Space Station Tour. Astronaut Mike Fincke gives people a tour of the International Space Stati...

By: usmc8201

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International Space Station Tour of ISS by NASA Part 1 - Video