The failure of a Russian capsule returning from the International Space Station to perform properly last month was because an equipment module failed to separate from the capsule on time, according to a Russion space official.
The Soyuz TMA-11 craft carrying U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and South Korean bioengineer Yi So-yeon landed hundreds of miles off course when it bounced onto the steppes of northern Kazakhstan April 11.
The three were subjected to severe G-forces, communications were disrupted and Russian officials said they had been in serious danger during the descent.
Alexei Krasnov, who heads Russia's manned space program, said after the Soyuz's separation from the space station, the equipment bay module was supposed to detach, allowing the capsule to enter the atmosphere and descend to Earth smoothly.
That did not happen, he said, and the Soyuz went into a "ballistic" descent.
He said Russian experts would soon finish the final report on the flawed landing, which was the second in a row — and the third since 2003.
Source:China Daily/Agencies
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