Dec 1 2009
From The Space Library
ISS Expedition 20 and 21 crew members ESA astronaut Frank De Winne, cosmonaut Roman Y. Romanenko, and Canadian astronaut Robert B. Thirsk returned to Earth aboard the Soyuz TMA-15 capsule. Soyuz TMA-15 landed in Kazakhstan at 2:15 a.m. (EST) in icy weather, ending a 188-day mission to the ISS. Although poor weather conditions had grounded the eight Mi-8 helicopters normally used in the recovery process, recovery crews in all-terrain vehicles were able to reach the spacecraft within 15 minutes of touchdown. Astronaut Jeffrey N. Williams and Russian cosmonaut Maxim V. Suraev remained on board the ISS, representing the smallest space station crew since July 2006.
William Harwood, “Space Station Crew Lands in Frigid Kazakhstan,” Spaceflight Now, 1 December 2009; James Dean, “Soyuz Makes Safe Return to Cold Earth,” Florida Today (Brevard, FL), 1 December 2009.
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