by Grania Spingies
Sam Cristoforetti is on her way back planet-side today after a record-breaking stint on the ISS.
Here she is savoring the last few minutes on the station.
Early start into Day 200 in #space. It's been an amazing journey, thx for coming along! Now time to go home to Earth. pic.twitter.com/Rzs03BDL2A
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) June 11, 2015
Because I’m a gigantic nerd, I always think of this when I see that port.
And of course she has impeccable geek credentials too.
So long… and thanks for all the fish! #Futura42 pic.twitter.com/zBei4SbMQx
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) June 11, 2015
Some good wishes to her.
Safe travels & a soft landing @AstroSamantha @AstroTerry @AntonAstrey pic.twitter.com/i7LuVppdjI
— Tim Peake (@astro_timpeake) June 11, 2015
And here’s a video of Soyuz undocking and a final farewell to Expedition 43.
REPLAY: @astrosamantha @astroterry and @AntonAstrey farewells, hatch closure and #Soyuz undocking, via @NASA https://t.co/64zlitqtGK
— ESA (@esa) June 11, 2015
Forward thrusters, engage!
Actually, it seems geek credentials are a feature, not a bug.
As @AstroSamantha @AntonAstrey & @AntonAstrey hurtle towards our planet communications will be lost at times – #DontPanic
— ESA Operations (@esaoperations) June 11, 2015
Old Commanders are watching the progress:
A big explosion on the Soyuz spaceship just split it into 3 parts … exactly as expected. Heavy G friction decel next. Landing in 30 mins.
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) June 11, 2015
Here it is coming down.
Landing in 10 minutes. Watch live: http://t.co/LApja9Xw8J #Futura42 pic.twitter.com/WCV4L9a1mU
— ESA Operations (@esaoperations) June 11, 2015
And a perfect touchdown.
Touchdown! Welcome home @AstroSamantha @AstroTerry and @AntonAstrey ! pic.twitter.com/hvDVuUwPLh
— ESA (@esa) June 11, 2015
Who needs the news when you’ve got Twitter.
And then there was this. (This is a parody account for the Mars Rover not the real @MarsCuriosity.)
All the science in the world and the best way to get people back from outer space is to drop them in a can with a big umbrella tied to it.
— SarcasticRover (@SarcasticRover) June 11, 2015
And here she is, back on the home planet.
There is @AstroSamantha, back on Earth after 199 days. #Futura42 pic.twitter.com/xgp1GWw2W4
— ESA Operations (@esaoperations) June 11, 2015
Welcome home, it’s been quite an odyssey.
Welcome back AstroSam! Happy to see you and your colleagues returned safely.
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dunno how that happened!
Love that third picture. It looks like someone opened a window on the ISS.
And welcome back!
Very cool, thanks for sharing this.
On the subject of Star Wars . . .
Count Dooku aka Count Dracula aka Saruman, in real life Christopher Lee, has died. He was 93 years old.
Mahvelous.
And we understand much of the descriptions about the undocking and the re-entry burns thanks to the earlier posting that explained that.
Thank you, Grania.
Welcome back. I can’t imagine what it feels like to suddenly weigh anything after 200 days of floating.
Welcome back!
Watch, after all that space food, I bet she heads out to the nearest Tim Horton’s.
Just kidding. They don’t even have Italian coffee.
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Happy ending to a great journey! One that the majority of earthlings were not even aware of, I’ll bet.
Utterly fantastic! Welcome home, AstroSam et al!
I’m just happy that, after intentionally channeling Kathryn Janeway during the coffee delivery, and again unintentionally after the Progress 59 failure left her stranded in space indefinitely, there was nothing Borg-like accompanying her return to Earth.