Two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut landed safely on Tuesday after spending eight months aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Soyuz MS-27 crew members Sergei Ryzhikov and Aleksei Zubritsky, cosmonauts from the Russian space agency Roscosmos, along with NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, landed on the cold and snow-covered steppe of Kazakhstan on Tuesday (December 9th). The space capsule, descending under a parachute and cushioned by braking thrusters, touched down at 10:03 local time (05:03 GMT), reports
A Roscosmos recovery team, along with NASA representatives, quickly moved to the scene to help the three Soyuz MS-27 crew members exit the capsule and into seats for routine medical checks.
Ryzhikov and Kim appeared to be in good health and in a positive mood. Zubritski was transported directly from the Soyuz capsule into an inflatable medical tent.
“Congratulations on another successful trip with the Soyuz capsule. Expedition 73, all objectives completed,” Ryzhikov said after landing. “The crew is feeling great,” he added.
The cosmonauts and the astronaut were then flown by helicopter to Karaganda, Kazakhstan, where the recovery teams are based. Kim will then board a NASA plane and be flown to Houston, while Ryzhikov and Zubritsky will depart for the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia.
Ryzhikov, Zubritsky and Kim’s journey back to Earth began on Monday, when they boarded the Soyuz capsule and detached themselves from the Prishal module of the orbital station. Their departure took place on Tuesday morning at 01:41 GMT and marked the official end of Expedition 73 and the beginning of Expedition 74.
“What I think I will remember most is the bond we shared together, and after spending eight months in space, I firmly believe that the greatest quality of an astronaut and a human being is not technical competence or loyalty or any of the myriad things we like to ascribe to astronauts, but love,” Kim said Sunday during the orbital outpost’s brief change of command ceremony. “I strongly believe that love is the most important thing an astronaut can have for his colleagues, for the people he works with and for our beautiful planet,” he added.
Aboard the space station, the new Expedition 74 crew includes Commander Mike Fincke and fellow NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Chris Williams, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Platonov, Sergey Kud-Svercikov and Sergey Mikaev.
Kud-Svercikov, Mikaev and Williams arrived in late November with a Soyuz launch that significantly damaged Russia’s only launch pad capable of supporting flights to the ISS.
During their 245 days in low Earth orbit, Ryzhikov, Zubritsky and Kim conducted hundreds of science experiments and technology demonstrations, while helping to maintain the station and oversee the arrivals and departures of resupply capsules, including the first upgraded space capsules from Northrop Grumman (Cygnus XL) and JAXA (HTV-X).
Ryzhikov and Zubritsky also performed two spacewalks to set up science experiments and relocate a controller for the European Robotic Arm outside the Russian segment of the station.
“Now, as mission commander, the first thing I have to do is celebrate something,” Fincke said on Sunday (December 7). “Today is the 60th anniversary of the Gemini 7 mission, and that was a great achievement for the American space program. They were going on a 14-day mission, which was very long for that time, and among us we have a man who has flown 600 days in space,” he said, referring to the 51-year-old veteran Ryzhikov, who spent a number of days in space space surpassed in history by only 12 other space navigators.
Ryzhikov, a colonel in the Russian Air Force, previously served with the crews of Expeditions 50 and 64 in 2017 and 2021, respectively.
Zubritski, aged 33, was the 630th person to orbit the Earth, according to the Space Travelers Registry maintained by the Association of Space Explorers. Kim, 41, known for memes inspired by his previous careers — a member of the US Navy SEALs and a doctor — was the 631st person to orbit the Earth.
Soyuz MS-27 was the 73rd Russian space capsule of its class launched to the station since 2000 and the 156th Soyuz spacecraft to fly into orbit from 1967 to the present, Space.com reports.
