Home Again, At Last: Soyuz Capsule Brings Astronauts to Earth

After a record-setting 12-month stay on the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko returned to Earth yesterday (March 1). Cosmonaut Sergey Volkov returned with them after spending six months in space.

A stunning photograph snapped by veteran NASA photographer Bill Ingalls shows the Soyuz capsule serenely parachuting through Earth's clouds, carrying the space travelers home.

The Soyuz-TMA-18M spacecraft landed near Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, at 11:25 p.m. EST (0425 GMT on March 2) carrying the space travelers home after completing Expedition 46. Upon landing, the space fliers underwent a 60-minute "field test" to assess their initial condition. 

The purpose of the yearlong mission was to gather necessary data on how long-duration weightlessness affects the human body. Scientists will use the details collected to plan a human mission to Mars.

Typically, NASA spends roughly a month and a half reconditioning astronauts to being back on Earth, with daily workouts and exercise to rebuild bone mass and muscle strength lost in the microgravity of the space station.

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