The Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft is seen departing from the International Space Station in a still frame from NASA TV video September 6, 2016. NASA TV/Handout via ReutersA U.S. astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts wrapped up a 172-day mission aboard the International Space Station with a parachute descent and landing at dawn on the steppes of Kazakhstan, a NASA TV broadcast showed. The capsule made a parachute descent southeast of Zhezkazgan, disappearing into a layer of haze as it neared the ground. The Russians remain champions of long-duration spaceflight, with cosmonaut Gennady Padalka currently the world record-holder with 878 days in space over five missions. A replacement crew is due to launch on Sept. 23 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Source: Thanhnien News September 07, 2016 01:30 UTC