Russian capsule brings three astronauts to earth

Three astronauts landed safely in the frozen steppe of northern Kazakhstan yesterday after six months orbiting the world on the International Space Station. The Russian Soyuz space capsule, carrying Belgian Frank de Winne, Canadian Robert Thirsk and Russian Roman Romanenko, landed as planned at 10.17 a.m. Moscow time (0717 GMT) about 85 kilometres north of the town of Arkalyk in Kazakhstan.

Astronaut De Winne waved as he was helped from the scorched TMA-15 capsule which took more than three hours to descend from the space station orbitting about 400 kilometres above earth.

"The Soyuz commander has just reported that the crew is in good shape," said an official at Mission Control in Korolyov, outside Moscow. Icy weather meant that support teams travelled over land rather than in helicopters to the desolate landing site where medics gave the crew check-ups.

The crew flew back to Russia's space training centre in Star City, outside Moscow, for training on how to deal with gravity after six months on the space station, Nasa said.

American Jeff Williams and Russian Maxim Suraev will remain on the space station until the arrival of a three man crew - including Russian Oleg Kotov, Nasa's Timothy Creamer and Japan's Soichi Noguchi, who are expected to leave earth aboard a Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft on December 21.