ISS Expedition 36 Crew touchdown safely

Russian cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov (right) waves to cameras alongside NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy after a successful Soyuz landing in Kazakhstan on Sept. 10, 2013 EDT (Sept. 11 local time), ending a five-month mission to the International Space Station. Crewmate Alexander Misurkin is not pictured.

Credit: NASA TV

A Soyuz capsule carrying three astronauts has touched down on Earth after undocking from the International Space Station after 166 days in space.

Nasa's Chris Cassidy and Russians Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin landed safely in Kazakhstan, where they launched on March 29.

Live Nasa footage showed the three men emerging from the capsule and onto the sunny Kazakh steppe, where they will first be put into reclining chairs that will help them readjust to the Earth's gravity.

The Soyuz is the only means for international astronauts to reach the orbiting laboratory since the decommissioning of the US shuttle fleet in 2011.

Before leaving the space station, Cassidy told reporters he would be sad to leave the orbiting lab behind, but at the same time he was excited to return home and see his wife and three children again.

In addition to rejoining his family, a "gooey, fresh-baked chocolate chip cookie ranks right on the top of my list," stated Cassidy.

The Expedition 36 crew of the International Space Station waves farewell before undocking a Soyuz space capsule to return to Earth on Sept. 10, 2013. 

They are Russian cosmonauts Alexander Misurkin (right), Pavel Vinogradov (left) and NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy. 

Credit: NASA

ISS Expedition 36 Crew to Return to Earth

In preparation for the Expedition 36 return to Earth, Commander Pavel Vinogradov of Russia's Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) handed over control of the International Space Station Monday, Sept. 9, 2013 at 2:25 p.m. EDT in a traditional Change of Command Ceremony. 

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Fyodor Yurchikhin will take over command and officially lead Expedition 37 when Expedition 36 undocks Tuesday at 7:35 p.m.

Going home with Vinogradov are Flight Engineers Chris Cassidy of NASA and Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos, who arrived at the station March 28. 

They will land a few hours later in their Soyuz TMA-08M spacecraft at 10:58 p.m. (8:58 a.m. Wednesday Kazakhstan time).

Soyuz landing coverage begins Tuesday on NASA TV at 4 p.m. with farewell and hatch closure.

In the bottom half of this photo, left to right, are Vinogradov and Flight Engineers Karen Nyberg of NASA and Misurkin.

In the top half of the photo are, left to right, Flight Engineers Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency, Cassidy, and Yurchikhin. This photo was taken on June 8, 2013.

Image Credit: NASA