Mon, Oct 12, 2009
Cirque Du Soleil Founder Guy Laliberte Ends His Journey In
Space
International Space Station
Expedition 20 Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Michael
Barratt landed their Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft on the steppes of
Kazakhstan Sunday, wrapping up a six-month stay. Joining them was
spaceflight participant Guy Laliberte, who spent 11 days in
space.
Padalka, the Soyuz commander, guided the spacecraft to a
parachute-assisted landing at 0032 EDT at a site northeast of
the town of Arkalyk.
Russian recovery teams were on hand within minutes of landing to
help the crew exit from the Soyuz vehicle and reacclimate to
gravity. The crew members will return to the Gagarin Cosmonaut
Training Center in Star City, outside of Moscow, for reunions with
their families.
Padalka and Barratt spent 199 days in space and 197 days on the
station after their March 26 launch. Laliberte launched with the
Expedition 21 crew on a Soyuz vehicle Sept. 30 and returned after
nine days on the station.
Padalka and Barratt presided over the inauguration of a
six-person crew and two space shuttle assembly and resupply
missions to the station. They also were station crew members during
the delivery of tons of cargo and new science facilities for
expanded research, and the arrival of the first Japanese H-II
Transfer cargo vehicle.
The station now is occupied by Expedition 21 Commander Frank De
Winne of the European Space Agency and Flight Engineers Roman
Romanenko and Max Suraev of Russia, Bob Thirsk of the Canadian
Space Agency and Nicole Stott and Jeff Williams of NASA.
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