Soyuz TMA-02M spacecraft landing tour

Landing of spacecraft is one of the most important and complicated stages of space flight. Heroes-cosmonauts are coming back to earth, experiencing g-loads, the big team of professionals of search and rescue group provides their rescue and safety. Participation in such an event is an absolutely unique and unforgettable experience!

This time our company organized the tour to Kazakhstan to the landing of Soyuz TMA-02M with the crew Sergei Volkov, Michael Fossum and Satoshi Furukawa. For the second time we are making such journey for Japanese journalists who wanted to meet their cosmonaut. It should be noted that the participants of this program can also be called heroes! Severe weather conditions in steppe at the end of November intensified the impressions of the tour that is anyway extreme even without that! Long way, frost, night in steppe. We overcame all that and fulfilled the main thing – met the cosmonauts! The parachute deployed right above us and after chase through the steppe following the capsule we were right in time for the landing of spacecraft that took place at 6.25 a.m. (msk) as it was planned.

We observed 12 helicopters Mi-8, planes An-24, An-26 and An-12 and 6 searching-rescue cars of Rosaviation successfully provided the security of “Soyuz” landing. Undoubtedly it is the most impressive spectacle! Cosmonauts were assisted in getting out from the descent module, then preliminary medical examination took place and only after that under medical specialists’ watchful eye they were sent to Kostanay airbase. We waited till the last helicopter departure, and the loading of decent module, and the immense and boundless steep became empty and silent again. After the celebratory lunch “in the field” we started back to Astana, satisfied with the fulfilled work!

The search and rescue specialists as usual fulfilled professionally their work, our Japanese guests made wonderful reportages. The crew of Soyuz TMA-02M successfully finished their space expedition. The mission is accomplished.