The massive swarm of detritus cast up by the indulgent landing place of astronauts Terry Virts , Samantha Cristoforetti and Anton Shkaplerov when they returned from the International Space Station on Thursday makes it incredibly open that “ easygoing ” is a relative terminal figure .
The Soyuz spacecraft made a perfect soft landing near Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on 23 January 2025. Image credit:NASA/Bill Ingalls
NASA astronaut Terry Virts , ESA ’s Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA , and Roscosmos ’ Anton Shkaplerov returned to Earth on June 11 , 2015 in this picture - gross cushy landing place by the Soyuz ballistic capsule . But the fiery roar of rockets and massive swarm of dust makes it open that a “ indulgent ” landing is utterly bone - jarringly rough .
Virts , Cristoforetti , and Shkaplerov made up half the work party forExpedition 42 on the International Space Station when it launched in November 2014 , and inExpedition 43 when it quetch off the Year In Space in March . The missionary station ran longer than intended after a minor problem cropped up with their Soyuz ballistic capsule , check the return flight .
https://gizmodo.com/an-outpost-nowhere-near-the-end-of-the-universe-1659219637
https://gizmodo.com/year-in-space-for-russian-american-crew-begins-with-spe-1694260890
Today was our original landing place date but we got extended,@astrosamantha , @antonastrey and I are very glad to stay!pic.twitter.com / DKDax710XZ
— Terry Virts ( @AstroTerry)May 13 , 2015
During reentry , the Soyuz TMA spacecraft slough all non - essential modules , so only the Descent Module containing astronauts returns to Earth . Three hours after undocking , the ballistic capsule starts heating up from the rubbing of reentering the air . Within eight minutes , atmospheric braking slow the craft to the still - blistering 230 metre per second ( 755 groundwork / second ) . Fifteen minute before landing , two pilot parachutes turn , puling a 24 square - meter ( 258 square infantry ) windsock shoot that slows the foxiness to just 80 meters per 2nd ( 262 feet / second ) . in the end , the main slide cover 1,000 square cadence ( 10,764 square feet ) deploys . It initially re - angles the spacecraft , tilting it to a 30 - degree tilt relative to the flat coat to help Soyuz dissipate heating plant , then later re - tilts it to erect , slowing it to just 7 meter per second ( 24 feet / 2nd ) . That ’s still too fast for landing , so two tierce of railway locomotive force out to slow Soyuz even further . The end solution is a “ flabby ” landing , something still absolutely bone - jarring . gratefully , Soyuz is equipped with some seriously awesome seats to buffer the landing with custom - molded liners fitted to each individual astronauts , easing the shock as they abruptly return to a land of full gravity .
The first training session with « Chibis » suit ( low body negative force per unit area ) – it imply a soon returning to the Earthpic.twitter.com/MPVcUMiGJH
— Anton Shkaplerov ( @Anton_Astrey)May 26 , 2015
By the meter they returned home from their 2d missions , Virts rack up 212 days in quad and Shkaplerov made it to 364 days . Meanwhile , as Cristoforetti hit 199 days on her very first venture into blank , she ’s set a new disk for the longest duration single mission for a distaff astronaut , or for a European Space Agency cosmonaut .
What a beauty ! Our#Soyuzright after undocking – by then , we had been in our buttocks for well over 2 hrs.#JourneyBackpic.twitter.com/6ujoysj3uD
— Samantha Cristoforetti ( @AstroSamantha)June 14 , 2015
While in sphere , all three astronauts did a glorious job of document our planet with endless photographs andtimelapses .
The last picture I take on this mission.pic.twitter.com/8KqTd8yMOR
— Terry Virts ( @AstroTerry)June 11 , 2015
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