Landing Day Photos: Soyuz Capsule Returns Olympic Torch, Expedition 37 to Earth

Olympic Torch Back on Earth: Karen Nyberg Rests

NASA/Carla Cioffi

Expedition 37 NASA Flight Engineer Karen Nyberg rests on the helicopter ride to Karaganda, Kazakhstan after her landing in the Soyuz TMA-09M spacecraft in a remote area southeast of the town of Zhezkazgan, Monday, Nov. 10, 2013. [Read the Full Landing Day Story Here]

Expedition 37 Landing: Farewell, Station

NASA TV

The International Space Station and Earth appear in the camera eye of a Russian Soyuz TMA-09M spacecraft after the two vehicles undocked on Nov. 10, 2013 to return the Olympic torch and three Expedition 37 crewmembers back to Earth. [Read the Full Landing Day Story Here]

Soyuz Undocks with Olympic Torch and Expedition 37 Crew

NASA TV

A Soyuz TMA-09M spacecraft is seen by cameras on the International Space Station after the two spacecraft undocked on Nov. 10, 2013. Riding home on the Soyuz were the Olympic torch and Expedition crewmembers Fyodor Yurchikhin of Russia, Karen Nyberg of NASA and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency. [Read the Full Landing Day Story Here]

Expedition 37 Crew Bids Farewell

NASA TV

Expedition 37 flight engineer Karen Nyberg (center) waves farewell to the International Space Station as she and flight engineer Luca Parmitano of Italy (right) and commander Fyodor Yurchikhin (center left) prepare to return to Earth on Nov. 10, 2013. At left is Expedition 38 commander Oleg Kotov of Russia. [Read the Full Landing Day Story Here]

Cosmonaut's Farewell: Fyodor Yurchikhin

NASA TV

Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, Expedition 37 commander, waves farewell as his crew enters a Soyuz TMA09M spacecraft to leave the International Space Station and return to Earth on Nov. 10, 2013. [Read the Full Landing Day Story Here]

Expedition 37 Soyuz Landing Zone

NASA TV

This NASA graphic depicts the target landing zone in central Kazakhstan for the Soyuz TMA-09M spacecraft returning the Olympic torch and Expedition 37 crew home from the International Space Station. [Read the Full Landing Day Story Here]

Astronaut 'Vitruvian Man' Crew Portrait

NASA

NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg, flight engineer; Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin (center), commander; and European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano, flight engineer, echo Leonardo Da Vinci's famed 'Vitruvian Man' in a crew photo on the International Space Station during the Expedition 37 mission. [Read the Full Landing Day Story Here]

Astronaut Karen Nyberg in Space

NASA

NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg enjoys the view of Earth from the windows in the Cupola of the International Space Station during her Expedition 37 mission in 2013. Image taken Nov. 4. [Read the Full Landing Day Story Here]

Astronaut Luca Parmitano Plays Guitar

NASA

Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency plays guitar in weightlessness during his Expedition 37 mission on the International Space Station. [Read the Full Landing Day Story Here]

Expedition 37 Crew Portrait

NASA

Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin (center), Expedition 37 commander; along with NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg and European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano pose for a crew portrait while wearing their Russian Sokol spacesuits. [Read the Full Landing Day Story Here]

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Tariq Malik
Editor-in-Chief

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.