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Space station crew return to Earth

September 11, 2014

An American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts have returned to Earth. They served for nearly half a year on the International Space Station.

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Steve Swanson, Oleg Artemiev and Alexander Skvortsov
Image: dpa

Steve Swanson, Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemiev landed in Kazakhstan early on Thursday, after a three-hour descent from orbit in their Soyuz space capsule.

The crew spent nearly six months in the International Space Station (ISS), where they conducted scientific experiments, upgraded the station's humanoid robot and repaired broken equipment.

"We accomplished a lot. We had a lot of fun," said American astronaut Swanson, who served as the station's commander.

"We did a lot of maintenance, which is good and bad," he said. "I love doing maintenance, but it means things broke."

Crew rotation

Russian cosmonaut Max Suraev has succeeded Swanson as the new station commander. NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman and German national Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency also remain in the space station.

On September 25, three new crewmembers will depart for the ISS. They include the first Russian woman to serve in the station, Elena Serova, as well as NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore and cosmonaut Alexander Samokutyaev.

The International Space Station is a $100-billion (77-billion-euro) research facility owned by 15 nations.

slk/jm (AP, dpa, Reuters)