The Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft carried Russian astronaut Oleg Novitskiy, NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara, and Belarusian astronaut Marina Vasilevskaya.
On April 6, the Russian Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft returned safely to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS), landing in Kazakhstan with Russian astronaut Oleg Novitskiy, American Loral O’Hara, and Belarusian Marina Vasilevskaya on board.
According to RT, the Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft departed from the ISS at 6:54 AM on April 6 (Moscow time). During the landing process, the modules of Soyuz MS-24 were designed to separate, with one module carrying the crew.
Rescue teams arrived to assist the astronauts in exiting the spacecraft.
Marina Vasilevskaya made history by becoming the first Belarusian astronaut to travel to space since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Belarusian astronaut Marina Vasilevskaya – (Screenshot/SWNS)
In an interview with BelTA, 33-year-old Marina Vasilevskaya was described as a beautiful astronaut. She expressed, “I feel proud to have the opportunity to be the first Belarusian woman to work in space.“
Vasilevskaya, a former flight attendant for Belarusian airline Belavia, spent 12 days on the ISS, during which she conducted various scientific experiments.
She was selected from over 3,000 candidates after rigorous testing. Vasilevskaya underwent training at a specialized center in Zvyozdny Gorodok (Star City) in Russia, starting in the summer of last year.
“I am overwhelmed with emotions. It’s unbelievable. I wish everyone on Earth would appreciate what they have because it is precious. I thank all the people of Belarus. We wanted to stay longer on the ISS, but it’s also wonderful to be back,” Vasilevskaya shared shortly after being extracted from the Soyuz spacecraft.
According to Tass, NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara arrived at the ISS in September 2023 aboard the Soyuz MS-24, while astronauts Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya arrived at the ISS on March 25 of this year on the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft.
