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Soyuz Space Capsule Returns to Earth

by Associated Press

   MOSCOW --

   A Russian Soyuz space capsule has landed in Kazakhstan, bringing back
   three astronauts from the United States, Japan and Russia back to Earth
   from a 115-day mission aboard the International Space Station.

   The landing took place Sunday morning near Dzhezkazgan on the treeless
   Central Asian steppes.

   Kate Rubins of NASA, Japan's Takuya Onisihi and Anatoly Ivanishin of
   Russia were removed from the capsule and sat on the steppes still in
   their capsule seats while they readjusted to the forces of gravity
   after nearly four months in weightless conditions, then were taken to a
   nearby medical tent for initial examination.

   Andrei Borisenko and Sergey Ryzhykov of Russia and NASA astronaut
   Robert Shane Kimbrough remain aboard the space station. They arrived on
   Oct. 22 after a two-day voyage.

   The trip back to Earth was much quicker for the three returnees on
   Sunday, about 3 1/2 hours from undocking until landing.

   The capsule landed as scheduled and was closely tracked by helicopters
   as it wafted through partly cloudy skies under a parachute marked in
   red and white concentric circles. The craft landed upright, which made
   the extraction of the astronauts quicker than when capsules land on
   their sides.