Cockeysville native returning from space Sunday night

Cockeysville native Reid Wiseman has spent the past five months sharing awe-inspiring views of Earth from more than 200 miles above, but in a recent tweet, he said he's ready for the opposite view of the International Space Station, distant and zipping through the night sky.

He'll have the chance soon, as he's scheduled to return from the space station Sunday night. The NASA astronaut and two crew mates, a German astronaut and Russian cosmonaut, are expected to land in the steppe of central Kazakhstan about 11 p.m. Eastern Time.

But the station won't go long without a Marylander aboard Columbia native Terry Virts is scheduled to launch from Kazakhstan in two weeks, and he said he is looking forward to following in Wiseman's footsteps.

Wiseman's time in space included shoutouts to his alma mater, Dulaney High School, and to fellow Orioles fans. He gained more than 300,000 Twitter followers with frequent images of Earth from space he shared.

"I've got some big shoes to fill," Virts said in an interview from Russia. "I'll do my best to try and keep up with Reid. It'll be tough."

Wiseman launched to the space station May 28 after 21/2 years of preparation. Over the summer and fall, he and crew mates maintained the station and conducted science experiments.

He embarked on two space walks last month, spending more than 12 hours in a spacesuit tethered to the station while installing and repairing equipment on its exterior.

But the 41st expedition to the space station will come to an end when Wiseman, European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst and Russian cosmonaut Maksim Surayev depart aboard a Soyuz spacecraft about 7:30 p.m. Sunday, tumbling back to Earth less than four hours later. Wiseman tweeted Friday that the crew successfully test-fired the spacecraft's thrusters.

"Everything worked flawlessly ready for a Sunday departure," he wrote.

Wiseman's parents, Bill and Judy Wiseman of Cockeysville, are ready, too.

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Cockeysville native returning from space Sunday night