Gallery: Space Station's Expedition 27 Crew Returns Home

Expedition 27 Landing

The Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 27 Commander Dmitry Kondratyev and Flight Engineers Paolo Nespoli and Cady Coleman in a remote area southeast of the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on Tuesday, May 24, 2011.

Soyuz Departs Space Station While Shuttle Endeavour Remains

This still from NASA TV shows the Russian Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft (left) as it backs away from the International Space Station. The shuttle Endeavour's aft section is visible at right.

Slow Fall

The Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 27 Commander Dmitry Kondratyev and Flight Engineers Paolo Nespoli and Cady Coleman in a remote area southeast of the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on Tuesday, May 24, 2011.

Floating

The Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 27 Commander Dmitry Kondratyev and Flight Engineers Paolo Nespoli and Cady Coleman in a remote area southeast of the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on Tuesday, May 24, 2011.

Hit the Ground

The Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft is seen as it lands with Expedition 27 Commander Dmitry Kondratyev and Flight Engineers Paolo Nespoli and Cady Coleman in a remote area southeast of the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on Tuesday, May 24, 2011.

Soyuz TMA-20 Capsule Lands Safely

This still from a NASA TV broadcast shows the Soyuz TMA-20 space capsule that landed safely on the steppes of Kazakhstan in central Asia on May 23, 2011 to end the Expedition 27 mission to the International Space Station. The Soyuz landed with Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev, NASA astronaut Cady Coleman and Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli aboard.

Expedition 27 Commander Dmitry Kondratyev Post-Landing

Expedition 27 Commander Dmitry Kondratyev rests in a chair shortly after he and Flight Engineers Cady Coleman and Paolo Nespoli landed in their Soyuz TMA-20 southeast of the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Expedition 27 Flight Engineer Cady Coleman Post-Landing

Expedition 27 Flight Engineer Cady Coleman waves hello and talks on a satellite phone to her family shortly after she and Commander Dmitry Kondratyev and Flight Engineer Paolo Nespoli landed in their Soyuz TMA-20 southeast of the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on Tuesday, May 24, 2011.

Expedition 27 Flight Engineer Paolo Nespoli Post-Landing

Expedition 27 Flight Engineer Paolo Nespoli gives a thumbs up as he is carried in a chair to the medical tent shortly after he and Commander Dmitry Kondratyev and Flight Engineer Cady Coleman landed in their Soyuz TMA-20 southeast of the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on Tuesday, May 24, 2011.

Expedition 27 Crew Members After Landing

After spending 157 days aboard the Space Station, Expedition 27 crewmates Dmitry Kondratyev, Cady Coleman and Paolo Nespoli undocked from the station Tuesday and landed safely at 10:27 p.m. EDT in Kazakhstan.

Stop and Smell the Flowers

NASA astronaut Cady Coleman smiles and holds flowers presented to her after she and crewmates landed back on Earth on May 23, 2011. The Soyuz TMA-20 space capsule carrying Coleman and her two Expedition 27 crewmates landed in Kazakhstan to end their 157-day mission to the International Space Station.