This image shows the Soyuz MS-06 capsule, carrying the crew of American astronauts Joe Acaba and Mark Vande Hei as well as Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, descending just before landing in a remote area outside the town of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on Feb 28. The trio returned to Earth from the International Space Station after months of time in low orbit, carrying out research and spacewalks. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), highlights from the trip included measuring the Sun's energy input to Earth and investigating the manufacturing of fibre optic filaments in microgravity - the very weak gravity one would experience on a spacecraft orbiting Earth. Mr Misurkin, together with fellow cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, set a record for the longest spacewalk in Russian space programme history, at eight hours and 13 minutes, when the pair went to replace an electronics box.
Beautiful Science

- PublishedMar 8, 2018, 5:00 am SGT
Gift this story
Share gift link below with your friends and family.
They can read the article in full after signing up for a free account.
Share link:
Link Copied!
Link Copied!Copy gift link
Or share via:
Read and win!
Read 3 articles daily and stand to win ST rewards,
including the ST News Tablet worth $398.
Good job, you've read 3 articles today!
Spin the wheel for ST Read and Win now.
Join ST's Telegram channel here and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 08, 2018, with the headline 'Beautiful Science'. Subscribe
Topics: