Russia’s TMA 8 spacecraft, carrying two International Space Station (ISS) astronauts and Brazil’s first astronaut in space, successfully landed in northern Kazakhstan early on April 9, just hours after detaching from the ISS.
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The three astronauts: William McArthur (right), Valery Tokarev (middle), and Marcos Pontes (left) – Photo: Xinhua |
Mission control for the TMA 8 spacecraft outside Moscow reported that the spacecraft landed at 23:47 UTC (approximately 6:48 AM on April 9, Vietnam time), about 50 kilometers northeast of Arkalyk, carrying Russian astronaut Valery Tokarev, American astronaut William McArthur, and Brazilian astronaut Marcus Pontes.
The astronauts reported a normal landing and said they felt well. They are currently undergoing health checks and are expected to fly to Moscow later today.
For the past six months, astronauts Tokarev and McArthur have been working aboard the ISS, while Marcus Pontes, the first Brazilian in space, arrived at the ISS on April 1 and conducted a series of scientific experiments during his nine days on the station.
“I am very happy. I want to say: thank you for everything“, said Marcus Pontes.
Currently, two astronauts, Pavel Vinogradov (Russia) and Jeffrey Williams (USA), are working on the ISS in place of Tokarev and McArthur. They are expected to conduct over 50 scientific studies and undertake four spacewalks.
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