Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams landed safety on Earth on November 19, 2012 with two of her fellow astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS). The astronauts touched down on the steppes of central Kazakhastan after having spent four months in orbit.
Sunita and other fellow astronauts Yuri Malenchenko and Aki Hoshide made a perfect landing as they touched down in the dark, in the chilly weather of central Kazakhastan in a Russian capsule. The astronauts landed at 07:26 IST in the town of Arkalyk as helicopters rushed to the spot.
The space capsule parachuted about 35 kilometers away from the planned touchdown location due to a procedural delay. Helicopters were rushed to the site with search-and-rescue crews to assist the new arrivals. Three more astronauts remain in the International Space Station and will return to Earth next year.
The three astronauts who recently landed on the earth undocked from the Rassvet module of the ISS on November 18, 2012. The return of Williams, Hoshide and Malenchenko has marked the completion of a 127 day space journey for them, including 125 days spent on the ISS. The trio had taken off from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhastan on July 15, 2012. The 47-year-old Williams has spent a total of 322 days in space during her two missions, both of which were quite lengthy.
