Expedition 17 Crew Returns From ISS

October 24, 2008 — Space tourist Richard Garriott and two members of the 17th crew to live and work aboard the International Space Station returned to Earth at 10:37 p.m. CDT on Thursday. Russian cosmonauts Sergei Volkov and Oleg Kononenko landed their Soyuz spacecraft at its targeted site in the steppes of Kazakhstan after completing 199 days in orbit and 197 days on the station. Garriott spent 10 days on the station under a commercial agreement with the Russian Federal Space Agency. He is the son of former NASA astronaut Owen Garriott, who was a member of the Skylab 3 crew in 1973. All three people aboard the Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft were reported to be in good condition after their re-entry and landing. A Russian recovery team and NASA personnel helped the crew into reclining chairs for medical tests and set up a medical tent nearby. During a teleconference on Monday, Garriott said the experience met and exceeded his expectations. “Growing up near NASA and in a space family, I think I understood what to expect better than most,” he said. But he said he was impressed with the technology and capabilities of the equipment and crew, and is already thinking of taking another trip. From an investment perspective, the protein crystal growth experiment was the most satisfying, Garriott said. But from a personal standing, he said he most enjoyed working and training with the “amazing astronauts.” Plus, he added, the view was amazing. The ISS is now being manned by Expedition 18 Commander and U.S. astronaut E. Michael Fincke, and Flight Engineers Greg Chamitoff and Yury Lonchakov, a Russian cosmonaut. Expedition 18's main focus is to prepare the station to house six crewmembers on long-duration missions beginning in spring 2009. Meanwhile, on Thursday, space shuttle Endeavour completed its rollaround from Launch Pad 39B to Launch Pad 39A, positioning the space shuttle for the last steps in processing before liftoff, which is targeted for Nov. 14 at 7:55 p.m. EST. Endeavour was moved so workers could continue modifications to the launch complex for the Ares I-X test flight in 2009. Seven astronauts will fly Endeavour to the space station during STS-126, carrying about 19,000 pounds of equipment and supplies, in the Multi-purpose Logistics Module Leonardo, that will eventually allow the station to host six residents instead of the current three.

Sergei Volkov, Expedition 17 commander, relaxes outside the Soyuz TMA-12 capsule after landing in Kazakhstan. Image credit: NASA TV Technicians oversee the Leonardo cargo module inside the payload changeout room of the rotating service structure at Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Bolted inside space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay, Leonardo and an external pallet will carry equipment to the International Space Station during STS-126. Photo: NASA/Kim Shiflett

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