This is How Earth Welcomed Back Soyuz
Not a bad re-entry after months on the International Space Station
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There are homecomings—and then there are homecomings like this.
Astronaut Barry Wilmore and cosmonauts spent nearly six months in space aboard the International Space Station, where they did research, demonstrated technology and clocked nearly 71 million miles in orbit.
This image is what greeted them as they re-entered earth on Thursday and drifted down towards Kazakhstan. On the ground, the temperature was freezing and foggy, but above it was nothing but rolling, golden clouds. ABC News reports that the team were “all smiles” as they completed their 249-mile free-fall, which took about 45 minutes and featured breathtaking views of the snowy steppe below. Now that’s a re-entry worth waiting for.
(h/t Gizmodo)
#Soyuz commander Alexander Samokutyaev is the first one out of the spacecraft. He has spent 331 days in space. pic.twitter.com/tj18hX68AA
— NASA (@NASA) March 12, 2015Ground crews wrap #AstroButch in blankets to keep him warm. He completed 4 spacewalks, now has 178 days in space. pic.twitter.com/Hya2PgsqfN
— NASA (@NASA) March 12, 2015And Elena Serova now out of the #Soyuz that brought 3 #ISScrew back to Earth. This was her first mission in space. pic.twitter.com/FQ7Y7bOVRU
— NASA (@NASA) March 12, 2015/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/accounts/headshot/erin.png)