. 24/7 Space News .
SPACE TRAVEL
ISS astronauts return to Earth amid US-Russia tensions
By Dana Rysmukhamedova
Astana, Kazakhstan (AFP) Oct 4, 2018

Two American astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut returned to Earth on Thursday wrapping up a six-month mission at the International Space Station as tensions between Washington and Moscow threaten a rare area of cooperation.

NASA astronauts Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold and Oleg Artemyev of Roscosmos touched down on steppe land southeast of the Kazakh town of Dzhezkazgan at the expected time of 1145 GMT.

The landing came with Russian and US officials investigating the appearance of a mysterious hole in a Russian space craft docked at the orbiting station.

Detected in August, the hole caused an air leak on the ISS but was quickly sealed up.

This week the outspoken chief of the Russian space agency, Dmitry Rogozin, said investigators believed the small hole had been made deliberately and was not a manufacturing defect.

The official, who was placed under US sanctions over the Ukraine crisis in 2014, also bemoaned "problems" in the Russian space agency's cooperation with NASA that he attributed to interference from unnamed American officials.

Last month the Russian daily Kommersant reported that an investigation had probed the possibility that US astronauts deliberately drilled the hole in order to get a sick colleague sent back home -- something Russian officials later denied.

ISS commander Feustel has called the suggestion that the crew was somehow involved "embarrassing" and NASA on Wednesday expressed doubts over the theory that the hole was the result of sabotage.

The US space agency said that ruling out defects "does not necessarily mean the hole was created intentionally or with mal-intent."

ISS astronauts are planning a spacewalk in November to gather more information on the hole.

The ISS is one of the few areas of tight Russia-US cooperation that had until now remained unaffected by the slump in ties, including after Washington's sanctions against Russia over Ukraine and other crises.

Earlier the ISS hosted the usual emotional goodbyes as the returning trio left Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency, NASA's Serena Au��n-Chancellor and Roscosmos' Sergey Prokopyev waiting for the next three-person crew's arrival.

The next launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan is scheduled for next Thursday.

- 'Glory days in hot sun' -

The crew was all smiles on return to Earth, with Artemyev first out of the descent module and shown tucking into a fruit and vegetable feast that included a giant cantaloupe melon in footage broadcast by Roscosmos.

He also wrote "spasibo" (thank you) and signed his name on the craft in chalk.

Feustel, 53, invoked Hollywood comedy actor Jack Black's character Nacho Libre as he tweeted farewell to life on the space station.

"I have had my 'glory days in the hot sun' and now it's time to come home," he wrote late Wednesday in a tweet that included a photo of the sun taken from the ISS.

While he was on his third mission in space, 47-year-old Artemyev and 54-year-old Arnold had previously only served on one mission each.

Their journey that began with a blastoff from Baikonur in March was particularly poignant for Arnold, who during his debut mission in 2009 helped build the space station he has now spent 197 days living in.

While aboard the ISS, Arnold, who has a teaching background, gave lessons on space that Sharon Christa McAuliffe -- one of seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger accident in 1986 -- had originally been supposed to teach.

In a NASA video, Arnold revealed that fellow educator McAuliffe's death in an explosion just over a minute after the challenger crew blasted off was one of the things that prompted him to take up teaching.

"To me and for our nation it was really important (those lessons) weren't lost," he said.

dr-cr/as/bp

ISS


Related Links
Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


SPACE TRAVEL
US-Russia space cooperation needs continued insulation from politics
Moscow (Sputnik) Sep 25, 2018
The United States will work with Russia to maintain cooperation in space programs and keep joint exploration efforts separate from terrestrial tensions between Washington and Moscow, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstein told guests at the Space Business Roundtable on Monday. "We've been able to make sure that space is set apart from all of these sometimes terrestrial challenges we have with our international partners, especially Russia," Bridenstein said. "So it is my intent to keep that relationshi ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

SPACE TRAVEL
NASA Unveils Sustainable Campaign to Return to Moon, on to Mars

Partnership, Teamwork Enable Landmark Science Glovebox Launch to Space Station

US-Russia space cooperation needs continued insulation from politics

Russia May Help India to Launch Country's First Manned Space Mission

SPACE TRAVEL
Nucleus completes successful first launch

A decade of commercial space travel - what's next?

Jeff Bezos space project lands big rocket partnership

Europe's Ariane 5 rocket blasts off for 100th time

SPACE TRAVEL
Opportunity Remains Silent For Over Three Months

Software finds the best way to stick a Mars landing

Martian moon likely forged by ancient impact, study finds

How a tiny Curiosity motor identified a massive Martian dust storm

SPACE TRAVEL
China launches Centispace-1-s1 satellite

China tests propulsion system of space station's lab capsules

China unveils Chang'e-4 rover to explore Moon's far side

China's SatCom launch marketing not limited to business interest

SPACE TRAVEL
The Ocean Cleanup chooses Iridium

Ten years catching rocket signals

Thinkom develops enterprise user terminal for Telesat's LEO constellation

SiriusXM buys Pandora to step up streaming music wars

SPACE TRAVEL
Norsk Hydro halts output at key Brazil plant, share plunges

Commercially relevant bismuth-based thin film processing

Virtual reality unleashes full power of top UK orchestra

Facebook unveils upgraded wireless Oculus headset in VR push

SPACE TRAVEL
Cosmologists use photonics to search Andromeda for signs of alien life

Did key building blocks for life come from deep space?

Plans for European Astrobiology Institute Announced

Gaia finds candidates for interstellar 'Oumuamua's home

SPACE TRAVEL
Juno image showcases Jupiter's brown barge

New research suggest Pluto should be reclassified as a planet

Tally Ho Ultima

New Horizons makes first detection of Kuiper Belt flyby target









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.