Insta
Expedition 57 Flight Engineer Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos (left) and Flight Engineer Nick Hague of NASA (right) embrace their families after landing at the Krayniy Airport. (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Astronauts from the United States of America and Russia escaped a faulty Soyuz spacecraft 90 seconds after launch, BBC has reported. The launch was conducted from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazhakstan. Astronauts on board, Nick Hague and Alexey Ovchinin had reported a problem with the rocket's booster. The problem cropped between the first and second stages of separation.
The crew is said to have landed south of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, and was hence transported by helicopter to a nearby city. A Roscosmos plane then flew the pair to Baikonur, where they were greeted on the tarmac by their families, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin, and other NASA and Roscosmos officials.
Hague and Ovchinin were taken to a local hospital for precautionary medical checks. They were scheduled to return to the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, outside of Moscow, a day later. “Hague is expected to fly home to Houston next week,” a NASA statement said.
The astronauts forced into a Ballistic descent soon after ejecting. They landed a few hundred miles away from Baikonur and were rescued soon after. Russia has suspended manned flights and announced an investigation into the mishap.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest