Soyuz capsule landing bumpy yet safe

Added by Erik West on November 22, 2011

Commander Mike Fossum (left) and Flight Engineers Sergei Volkov (center) and Satoshi Furukawa - returned safely to Earth Monday. / Image Credit: NASA TV

Frigid temperatures, a light dusting of snow, and high winds on Tuesday contributed to the bumpy yet safe landing of Russia’s Soyoz capsule carrying three crew members of the International Space Station.

The Soyuz capsule, carrying American Mike Fossum, Japan’s Satoshi Furukawa and Russia’s Sergei Volkov, landed on its side, a common event in windy conditions. The crew lived on the International Space Station for 165 days.

The capsule safely landed at 02:27 GMT/UTC in Kazakhstan, said Russian space agency officials. A rocket carrying the capsule took off from the Baikonur cosmodrome on Monday.

American astronaut Dan Burbank, Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin arrived several days ago and will remain stationed on the International Space Station until March.