The Russian Soyuz
space capsule has returned to Kazakhstan safely. It's arrival on earth
brings an end to the five month stay in orbit.
Earlier on Monday, the
Soyuz TMA-20 successfully backed away from the International Space
Station and the shuttle Endeavour. Onboard the Soyuz was Italian
astronaut Paolo Nespoli, American astronaut, Catherine Coleman, and
Russian cosmonaut, Dmitry Kondratyev.
The departure left
behind three space station residents and Endeavour's six-man crew.
Prior to a successful landing, crew member Paolo Nespoli from Italy
took some unprecedented close-up photos of the ISS while Endeavour was
docked at the complex.
Originally known as a
Soyuz flyabout, the proposal to obtain imagery was first revealed prior
to the STS-133 mission in February this year. It's the first time a
Soyuz has returned home while a shuttle was attached to the space
station. Xinhua
