Soyuz TMA-06M Spacecraft: Expedition 34 Crew Safe Landing

The scorched Soyuz TMA-06M spacecraft lies passively on its side on March 16.

It is used and discarded after bringing home Expedition 34 Commander Kevin Ford of NASA, Soyuz Commander Oleg Novitskiy and Flight Engineer Evgeny Tarelkin.

It was described as a rough ride but a safe landing, northeast of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan following a one-day delay due to inclement weather in the area.

The Soyuz initially lands upright because of the 'soft landing' parachutes, before being tilted on its side by the recovery crew for servicing.

The spacecraft touched down to conclude 144 days in space and 142 days for Ford, Novitskiy and Tarelkin at the International Space Station (ISS).

The three crew members were flown by helicopter to Kustanai, Kazakhstan for medical checks and de-briefing, en route to their homes in Houston and Star City, Russia. 

Photo credit: Sergey Vigovskiy

Expedition 34 Crew: Welcome Home!

Expedition 34 Flight Engineer Evgeny Tarelkin, left with flowers, Flight Commander Kevin Ford of NASA, center with flowers, and Soyuz Commander Oleg Novitskiy are greeted at the Kustanay Airport a few hours after they landed near the town of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan.

Ford, Novitskiy, and Tarelkin are returning from 142 days onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 33 and 34 crews.

Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

NASA - Expedition 34 Crew Members

With their scheduled stay onboard the International Space Station headed toward its final days, three members of the Expedition 34 crew pose for some photographs in their Sokol suits in the U.S. Laboratory or Destiny. 

From left are NASA astronaut Kevin Ford, commander, with Roscosmos Flight Engineers Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin.

The three crew members will undock their Soyuz spacecraft from the station at 8:30 p.m. EDT, March 14, heading for a landing in Kazakhstan northeast of the remote town of Arkalyk at 11:57 p.m. EDT. They will have spent 143 days in space since launching from Kazakhstan Oct. 23.

When the Soyuz undocks, Expedition 35 will begin aboard the station under the command of Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency. 

Hadfield will be the first Canadian commander. He and his crewmates, NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, will tend to the station for two weeks until the arrival of three new crew members: NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin.

Image Credit: NASA

NASA ISS Expedition 34 Crew Arrive for Xmas

NASA ISS Expedition 34 Launch Image

Nasa's ISS Expedition 34 crew were launched from Baikonur.

The crew are on board a Soyuz TMA-07M Space Transportation Module and are sited to dock with the ISS tomorrow.

Expedition 34 crew members are pictured on the front row are NASA astronaut Kevin Ford (left), commander; and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield, flight engineer.

Pictured from the left (back row) are Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy, Evgeny Tarelkin, Roman Romanenko and NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn, all flight engineers.

NASA Soyuz Expedition 34 Rollout

The Soyuz rocket is rolled out to the launch pad by train on Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for Dec. 19 and will send Expedition 34/35 Flight Engineer Tom Marshburn of NASA, Soyuz Commander Roman Romanenko and Expedition 35 Commander Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) on a five-month mission aboard the International Space Station. 

Image Credit: NASA/Carla Cioffi

NASA ISS Expedition 34: Flight Engineer Tom Marshburn Dress Rehearsal

At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Expedition 34 Flight Engineer Tom Marshburn of NASA conducts a "fit check" dress rehearsal inside the Soyuz TMA-07M spacecraft on Dec. 7, 2012.

Along with Soyuz Commander Roman Romanenko and Flight Engineer Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency, who are not pictured, Marshburn is preparing for launch scheduled for Dec. 19 for a five-month mission on the International Space Station. 

Image Credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov

NASA ISS Images: Expedition Crew Preps for Soyuz Launch

NASA astronaut Kevin Ford (left), Expedition 33 flight engineer and Expedition 34 commander; Soyuz Commander Oleg Novitskiy (center) and Flight Engineer Evgeny Tarelkin (right) clasp hands Sept. 21, 2012 in front of a Soyuz vehicle mock-up as they wrap up two days of final qualification exams at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia.

The trio is scheduled to launch Oct. 23 in their Soyuz TMA-06M spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan for a five-month mission on the International Space Station.

Credit: NASA