The futuristic gumdrop-shaped space capsule in which the ISS crew landed can now be seen in the middle of the Kazakh steppe, photos show. The US-Russian duo narrowly escaped death in the botched space launch earlier on Thursday.
The co-pilots, Russia’s Aleksey Ovchinin and American astronaut Nick Hague, carried out a “ballistic re-entry” and were unable to reach the space crew already aboard the International Space Station. The booster failed mid-air after take-off from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome, and the crew were forced to make an emergency landing.
Breathtaking footage of the spacecraft dramatically aborting its mission was caught on a live feed, showing the spacemen being severely shaken around. At one point, Ovchinin is heard remarking that both are “experiencing weightlessness.”
Roscosmos released photos of the ISS crew lounging on a couch with hot beverages and snacks. Both appear to be healthy and in good spirits.
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