Soyuz TMA-12M Makes Safe Return to Earth with ISS Crew

Russia's Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft descended into central Kazakhstan late Wednesday, safely touching down under parachute after departing the International Space Station with three U.S. and Russian astronauts.

NASA's Steve Swanson and cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev landed under partly sunny skies 90 miles southeast of Dzhezkazgan at 10:23 p.m., EDT, or Thursday at 8:23 a.m., local time, after 169 days in orbit.

Recovery teams surround Soyuz capsule to extract U.S., Russian astronauts. NASA TV

The capsule carrying the three men was greeted within minutes of touching down by Russian-led, helicopter-borne recovery teams. All three men appeared weary but in good spirits as they were assisted from their capsule for initial medical checks.

The TMA-12 departed the station's Russian segment Poisk docking module at 7:01 p.m., EDT.

Soyuz TMA-12 descends to landing in Central Kazakhstan. NASA TV

With the departure, command of the ISS, normally staffed by a six person crew, transitioned from Swanson to Russian Maxim Suraev, who leads the new Expedition 41.

“See you in a few months.” Swanson radioed his colleagues in the ISS as the TMA-12M began its re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

NASA's Reid Wiseman and European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst remain aboard the station with Suraev. All three began their five- to six-month stay aboard the ISS in late May.

They are scheduled to be joined on late Sept. 25 by three new crew members launched aboard the Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft, NASA's Barry "Butch" Wilmore and cosmonauts Alexander Samoukutyaev and Elena Serova.

Cosmonaut Elena Serova, right, will join Expedition 41 as the first Russian female to serve aboard the International Space Station. She's joined by veteran NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, left, and cosmonaut Alexander Samoukutyaev. NASA

Serova, a flight test engineer, would become the first Russian female to live and work aboard the space station and the first to fly in orbit since cosmonaut Elena Kondakova participated in a nine day May 1997 NASA space shuttle mission.

Swanson, Skvortsov and Artemyev were to be flown by helicopter from the landing site to Karaghanda for an airport welcoming ceremony.

Later, Swanson was to board a NASA jet for a flight to the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Skvortsov and Artemyev were to board a Russian air transport bound for their Star City training center near Moscow.