An International Space Station crew including an American, a Briton and a Russian landed safely in the sun-drenched steppes of Kazakhstan on Saturday.
The Soyuz TMA-19M capsule carrying NASA’s Tim Kopra, Tim Peake of the European Space Agency and the Russian agency Roscosmos’ Yuri Malenchenko touched down as scheduled at 3:15 p.m. local time about 145 kilometres southeast of Zhezkazgan.
All descent manoeuvres were performed without any hitches and the crew reported feeling fine as their ship slid off the orbit and headed down to Earth.
Support crew helped the trio get out of the capsule, charred by a fiery descent through the atmosphere, and placed them in reclining chairs for a quick check-up.
“I’m going to miss the view definitely,” Mr. Peake said after landing. He is the first Briton to visit the International Space Station.
Squinting at the sun, Mr. Peake said he felt “elated,” adding that “the smells of Earth are just so strong.”
“I’d love some cool rain right now!” he said with a smile as he sat in scorching heat in his bulky spacesuit.
The trio spent 186 days in space since their launch in December 2015. They have conducted hundreds of experiments in biology, biotechnology, physical science and Earth science.
