- Estonian Police Bans Rally in Support of Soviet Soldier; Soyuz With Iss Crew Lands in Kazakhstan

SOYUZ SPACECRAFT UNDOCKS FROM ISS FOR LANDING

KOROLYOV, Moscow region. April 21 (Interfax-AVN) – The Soyuz TMA- 9 spacecraft carrying Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, and U.S. space tourist Charles Simonyi has undocked from the International Space Station, an Interfax correspondent has reported from the Russian space mission control in Korolyov outside Moscow.

Video cameras installed both on the ISS and the spacecraft broadcast the undocking procedure onto giant screens at the space mission control.

“The Soyuz engines will be blasted for braking in about two hours. The landing capsule is scheduled to touch down near Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan at 4:30 p.m. Moscow time,” mission control spokesman Valery Lyndin said.

The landing capsule is to touch down several hours before sunset, Lyndin said. However, the crews of rescue aircraft that would monitor the landing in midair will have no problems in seeing the landing capsule and its parachute, he said.

Tyurin and Lopez-Alegria have worked onboard the ISS since last September and so have spent 215 days in orbit, which is a record for ISS crews.

Russian cosmonauts Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kotov will stay onboard the ISS for half a year, and NASA astronaut Sunita Williams will remain there until June and will return to Earth onboard a space shuttle.

KOROLYOV (Moscow region). April 21 (Interfax-AVN) – The Souyuz TMA-9 spacecraft carrying Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin, NASA astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria, and U.S. space tourist Charles Simonyi has landed in Kazakhstan, a source in the Mission Control Center in Korolyov, the Moscow region, told Interfax.

“According to reports of search groups, the spacecraft landed in the designated area, Astronauts feel good,” the source said.

According to Mission Control Center’s data, helicopters will evacuate astronauts and deliver them to a nearest airfield. Later, they will leave for Moscow. The first press conference after the flight will take place in Star City on April 24.

Tyurin and Lopez-Alegria worked onboard the ISS since last September and spent 215 days in orbit, which is a record for ISS crews.

Simonyi spent 14 days in space. He took part in a number of scientific experiments, took pictures of the Earth and held several communication sessions, including for students and pupils. He was writing about his impressions on his web site.

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