Science & Exploration

Day 11: Wednesday 31 October

31/10/2001 593 views 0 likes

ESA / Science & Exploration / Human and Robotic Exploration / Astronauts

The Andromède crew boarded the Soyuz vehicle on the evening of Tuesday 30 October.

Closure of the hatch took place at 23:37 CET (22:37 GMT) followed by the undocking of the Soyuz vehicle on Wednesday 31 October at 02:39 CET (01:39 GMT).

The Soyuz touched ground today at 05:59:26 CET (04:59:26 GMT) 180 km from the town of Dsheskasgan, in northern Kazakhstan, as planned. The landing took place under normal conditions.

The crew's mission to the International Space Station lasted a total of 10 days, during which time several scientific and technological experiments were undertaken. The other prime objective of the mission has now been successfully completed - to deliver the Station's new lifeboat and exchange for the older Soyuz vehicle that had been attached to the Station for the past six months. Claudie described the mission as "a challenging and intensely fulfilling experience".