 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
First Malaysian in space returns to Earth
Moscow (AFP) Oct 21, 2007 Two Russian cosmonauts and the first Malaysian in space returned to Earth on Sunday in an unusually abrupt and off-target manner after leaving the orbiting the International Space Station, Russian mission control said. The Soyuz craft with Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, who carried out experiments for Malaysia's Genome Institute, and Russians Yuri Yurtshikin and Oleg Kotov touched down on the Kazakh steppe at 1043 GMT, it said. "We could not say right now what caused the 'ballistic landing'," Energuia company official Vitali Lopota said, cited by Interfax agency. He said they would have to study the data before they could conclude why this type of landing occurred. Energuia built the Soyuz capsule. A Russian mission control official cited by Itar-Tass agency called the landing "rare". "The landing area was 50-70 kilometres (31-44 miles) from where we had initially indicated," Russian Space Agency chief Anatoli Perminov told Interfax. The capsule landed around 200 kilometres (120 miles) away from where was initially supposed to in Kazakhstan after its trajectory was altered when it entered the Earth's atmosphere, ITAR-TASS reported. The Malaysian astronaut, whose trip was paid for by the Malaysian government, left on the mission on October 10 with American Peggy Whitson, the new commander on the space station, and a Russian Yuri Malenchenko. They were taken out of the capsule several minutes after landing and were given a routine medical check. They were due to go by helicopter to the nearest airport to be taken to Moscow. The temperature on the ground was a chilly six degrees Celsius (43 degrees Fahrenheit) and the men were given hot tea and were laid out on warming mats. The three "feel good," a mission control official said on television channel Vesti, even though the astronauts landed far from their initial target. A 'ballistic re-entry' is different from a controlled re-entry, where the space vehicle engines jump into action to command the capsule. The decision to include a Malaysian in a space mission was made four years ago, when Russia landed a multi-billion dollar order to supply Malaysia with 18 Sukhoi 30 fighter jets. A practising Muslim, the Malaysian celebrated the end of the holy month of Ramadan aboard the ISS. Among other experiments, Muszaphar examined the impact of microgravitation on the coordination of eye and head movements and the evolution of cancerous cells in weightless conditions. Yurtshikin and Kotov had both spent six months aboard the space station. Related Links Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News
First Stop Moon. Next Stop, Mars
Vienna, Austria (SPX) Oct 19, 2007The distant red planet Mars has captured the imagination of humankind for generations. It has inspired novelists to write stories about its exploration and motivated scientists to find ways to make space travel there a viable possibility. Now, for the first time in Europe, scholars such as historians, philosophers and sociologists are banding together with space scientists to share their thoughts and ideas on how humankind will be taking these first steps. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright Space.TV Corporation. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space.TV Corp on any Web page published or hosted by Space.TV Corp. Privacy Statement |
