WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Concluding an eight-month science mission aboard the International Space Station, U.S. astronaut Chris Williams and Russian cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev returned to Earth on Sunday.
The crew made its safe, parachute-assisted landing in a remote area near the Kazakhstan town of Zhezkazgan after departing the space station aboard the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft, NASA said.
The crew was in space for 241 days, orbiting the Earth 3,856 times and traveling more than 102 million miles. They launched to the International Space Station on November 27, last year. The mission was the first for Williams and Mikaev and the second for Kud-Sverchkov.
While aboard the orbiting laboratory, Williams supported a wide range of scientific investigations and technology demonstrations. He helped advance research for new cancer treatments and improved in-space manufacturing of materials used in high-performance computers and electronics. Williams also completed two spacewalks to prepare for space station power system upgrades and to replace a faulty joint on the Canadarm2 robotic arm. The crew's work aboard the space station helps improve life on Earth and prepare for future human missions to the Moon and Mars.
Following post-landing medical checks, the crew members will fly by helicopter to Karaganda, Kazakhstan, where recovery teams are based. Williams then will board a NASA aircraft bound for the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
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