{"id":19351,"date":"2016-06-18T20:43:44","date_gmt":"2016-06-18T12:43:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/what-a-view-space-station-trio-sails-home-through-picture-perfect-clouds\/"},"modified":"2016-06-18T20:43:44","modified_gmt":"2016-06-18T12:43:44","slug":"what-a-view-space-station-trio-sails-home-through-picture-perfect-clouds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/what-a-view-space-station-trio-sails-home-through-picture-perfect-clouds\/","title":{"rendered":"What a view! Space station trio sails home through picture-perfect clouds"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Soyuz
A Russian Soyuz craft descends through the clouds toward its landing in Kazakhstan, bringing a U.S.-Russian-British crew back down to Earth. (Credit: Bill Ingalls \/ NASA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Three spacefliers from the International Space Station made a photogenic return to Earth today, touching down in the steppes of Kazakhstan.<\/p>\n

The landing marked the end of a 186-day tour of duty for NASA astronaut Tim Kopra, Britain\u2019s Tim Peake and Russia\u2019s Yuri Malenchenko. The homeward journey began when the trio\u2019s Russian Soyuz capsule undocked from the station at 10:52 p.m. PT Friday, leading up to the parachute-assisted descent through partly cloudy skies a little more than three hours later.<\/p>\n

NASA photographer Bill Ingalls and the European Space Agency\u2019s Stephane Corvaja captured some classic scenes of the homecoming from a Russian recovery helicopter, and later from the ground:<\/p>\n

\"Soyuz
An aerial view shows the Soyuz capsule descending. (Credit: Bill Ingalls \/ NASA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Soyuz
The Soyuz craft fires a retro blast to cushion the touchdown. (Credit: Stephane Corvaja \/ ESA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Soyuz
The Soyuz craft stirs up a cloud of dust as it touches down. (Credit: Bill Ingalls \/ NASA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Soyuz
The Soyuz landed on its side and had to be righted. (Credit: Stephane Corvaja \/ ESA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Tim
NASA astronaut Tim Kopra flashes thumbs-up signs as he\u2019s carried away from the Soyuz landing site. Returning spacefliers are traditionally carried to let them readjust to Earth\u2019s gravity. (Credit: Bill Ingalls \/ NASA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Space
Spacefliers Tim Peake, Tim Kopra and Yuri Malenchenko face the cameras. (Credit: Stephane Corvaja \/ ESA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Tim
British astronaut Tim Peake is all smiles as he sits in a recovery helicopter. (Credit: Stephane Corvaja \/ ESA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The crew\u2019s return marks the completion of data collection for several NASA studies aimed at gauging the effects of long-term spaceflight on various aspects of human health, including eyesight, cognition and the microbiome.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt takes a long time to complete the number of subjects required for human research investigations \u2013 it\u2019s usually years in the making \u2013 so this is a big<\/em> milestone,\u201d lead expedition scientist Yuri Guinart-Ramirez said in a blog posting about the studies earlier this month.<\/p>\n

Today also marks the switchover from Expedition 47 to Expedition 48 on the space station. NASA astronaut Jeff Williams is now the commander of the orbiting outpost, with Russia\u2019s Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin filling out the three-man crew.<\/p>\n