Space explorers return to Earth

ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- In a relief for NASA, two American astronauts along with a Russian cosmonaut returned to Earth from the international space station earlier today in a cramped Russian capsule, getting home the only way they could after the Columbia space shuttle disaster.

The parachute landing in the isolated steppes of Kazakhstan in Central Asia ended a mission severely shaken by the Feb. 1 accident, which led to the grounding of the entire U.S. shuttle fleet and forced a change in travel plans for the astronauts left stranded in space.

Rather than gliding to Florida in the relative spaciousness of a shuttle, Kenneth Bowersox, Donald Pettit and their Russian colleague Nikolai Budarin rode in the Soyuz TMA-1 capsule, just over two yards by two yards in size, taking with them only a minumum of equipment.

They became the first NASA astronauts to land in a foreign spacecraft in a foreign land.

Russian mission control announced the landing at 6:19 a.m. today (9:19 p.m. Saturday CDT), after establishing contact with the spacecraft -- about three hours after it undocked from the space station.

The helicopter landed 15 miles off its target, a remote spot 250 miles southwest of Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, said Allard Beutel, a NASA official at mission control. Russian helicopter crews en route to the landing site were speaking with the astronauts and that there was no indication any of them had experienced problems, he said.

The return was more tense than usual. Not only was it the first since the Columbia disintegrated over Texas, killing its seven astronauts -- also, this new Soyuz model had never gone through a descent before. The location of the landing was new for NASA -- and it was onto hard ground, not in water as was the U.S. space programs' practice in the pre-shuttle days.

Because of Columbia, "the eyes of the American public and Congress and everyone are going to be on this landing," said Dr. J.D. Polk, one of two NASA flight surgeons who headed to the landing site with two helicopter loads of medical supplies, along with U.S. Air Force medical personnel -- just in case.

"We just don't have any acceptance for any risk right now," Polk said.

The Soyuz capsule separated from the station at 5:43 p.m. CDT Saturday, said officials at Russian mission control outside Moscow. The ship could be seen on a big screen, backing slowly away from the station.

Because the Soyuz is so cramped, Bowersox, Pettit and Budarin brought back very little -- mainly just a few small personal items, film, water and other environmental samples, and a handful of science experiments.

All their other belongings from 161 days in space were left behind to await home delivery by the next visiting shuttle -- whenever that may be. That stash includes Pettit's didgeridoo, an Australian Aboriginal horn he played to entertain his 2 1/2-year-old twin sons during video conferences.

Two extra months

Bowersox and Pettit spent 5 1/2 months aboard the space station with Budarin -- two months longer than planned because after the Columbia accident extra time was needed to bring their replacements aboard another Soyuz, the TMA-2.

Astronaut Edward Lu and cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko checked in last week for a six-month stay that promises to be a challenge, given the reduction in crew size to conserve supplies until shuttle flights resume.

Handing over command to Malenchenko before floating into the Soyuz for the flight home, Bowersox told the new crewmen, "You guys have to be the two luckiest guys who come from planet Earth today. Over the next six months you get to live aboard this beautiful ship."

"Yuri, I'm ready to be relieved," he added.

From the ground, NASA Adminstrator Sean O'Keefe wished both crews "Godspeed" and told the returning trio, "Put in your order for how you want your steaks done so we can have them ready for when you arrive."

Russian cosmonauts regularly descend in capsules -- most recently in Nov. 10, 2002, when two Russians and a Belgian returned to Earth.

In a link-up to the station broadcast live on Russian state television Saturday before the undocking, Budarin played down the risk of returning in a Soyuz that has not landed before, saying the differences from the previous model were "only modifications."

"I have made two descents in a Soyuz and there were no problems at all, and I think there won't be any problems this time," he said, bobbing slowly up and down in zero gravity.

Bowersox, speaking Russian, said the mission aboard the station went well. "We carried out everything we intended to, but most important is that we worked well together as an international crew," he said.

NASA was pulling out the stops for the touchdown, sending Polk and his fellow NASA flight surgeon along with a defibrillator, heart monitor, and trauma and resuscitation equipment. U.S. Air Force doctors were also deployed for the landing, along with a miniature operating room, and some major hospitals in Europe were on alert.

"Even that much medical force is pale compared with we normally have" in Cape Canaveral, Fla., for shuttle landings, Polk said. "It probably is overkill, but you never want to say 'if only' in the spaceflight business."

The Russians, who typically have just a handful of doctors present for a Soyuz landing, have been understanding, Polk said.

"Probably, medical support will shrink after this, once we become comfortable with this vehicle and comfortable with the situation," he said.

For the reunion, the wives of Bowersox and Pettit, along with the twins, and Budarin's family traveled to Russia's Star City, the cosmonaut training headquarters near Moscow..

Jim Newman, an astronaut in charge of NASA's human spaceflight program in Russia, expects Bowersox and Pettit will have a difficult time adjusting to the new space reality, as everyone has.

"It's not the space program that we had hoped because of the tragedy," Newman said, "but we're certainly ready for whatever comes."