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from the next-capsule-arriving-at-platform-one dept.
Jeff Williams, Alexey Ovchinin, Oleg Skripochka have returned to Earth from the International Space Station:
Less than a week after winding up a successful spacewalk, outgoing space station commander Jeff Williams, America's most experienced astronaut, joined two Russian cosmonauts for a fiery return to Earth Tuesday, closing out a 172-day mission with an on-target landing in Kazakhstan.
[...] The four-minute 41-second burn slowed the ship by 286 mph, just enough to drop the far side of the orbit deep into Earth's atmosphere. After a 25-minute free fall to just above the top of the discernible atmosphere, the three modules making up the Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft separated. A few moments after that, the central crew cabin, the only module protected by a heat shield, slammed into the atmosphere at an altitude of 62 miles and a velocity of some 17,000 mph. Using atmospheric friction to slow down, the descent module's main parachute deployed at an altitude of a little less than seven miles and the spacecraft settled to the steppe of Kazakhstan.
[...] For Williams, the end of the mission marked a personal milestone. On Aug. 20, he surpassed the U.S. record for most cumulative time in space -- 520 days -- that was set earlier this year by astronaut Scott Kelly at the end of his nearly yearlong mission. With landing Tuesday, Williams' mark will stand at 534 days aloft over four missions, moving him up to 14th on the list of most experienced spacemen. The overall record is held by Gennady Padalka, who has logged 878 days in space over five missions.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday September 07 2016, @06:35PM
If we had sent up two astronauts, and three returned. To date, we have not recovered any more astronauts than we have sent up.
Think any women would volunteer to have their babies in space, in the interest of science and tabloid fame?
(Score: 2) by RedGreen on Wednesday September 07 2016, @07:38PM
"Think any women would volunteer to have their babies in space, in the interest of science and tabloid fame?"
There is more than a few Kardashian women I would think one of them attention whores would be a prime candidate.
"I modded down, down, down, and the flames went higher." -- Sven Olsen
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday September 07 2016, @07:42PM
Yuck! The process is messy enough when gravity keeps it localized.
That said. It will definitely happen, eventually. But high-G rocket launches are not recommended in your third trimester, so she's gonna have to spend quite some time eating dehydrated ice cream and strawberries.
(Score: 3, Funny) by tangomargarine on Wednesday September 07 2016, @08:55PM
obligatory xkcd [xkcd.com]
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 08 2016, @06:52AM
With Runaway, oh, god, do I have to say it again?? Evidently. With Runaway, it is always about sex. Randy bugger.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday September 08 2016, @02:07PM
Runaway is a sexegenarian - and you're jealous.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 08 2016, @09:56PM
Why do you hate bonobos?