Feb 19 1998
From The Space Library
The Soyuz landing capsule, carrying two Russian cosmonauts and a French astronaut returning from Mir, landed safely in the snow and bitter cold (-22°F or -30°C) about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the northern Kazakhstan village of Arkalyk. Only one of eight rescue helicopters was able to meet the crew because of wind, clouds, and thick snow, limiting visibility to less than 160 feet (49 meters). Anatoly Y. Solovyev and Pavel V. Vinogradov returned to Earth after a six-month mission on Mir. During their stay on Mir, the cosmonauts had focused on repairing the aging space station. Leopold Eyharts returned to Earth with six salamanders. The two cosmonauts who had replaced Solovyev and Vinogradov had flown the salamanders to Mir, carrying them on board the space station in January. While in space, Eyharts had conducted experiments on the salamanders, including monitoring the effects of antigravity on the reptiles' egg-laying capabilities.
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