Running one day late, a Soyuz capsule carried two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut back to Earth early Saturday, the final chapter in an action-packed six-month mission aboard the International Space Station.

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VIDEO: REMARKABLE VIDEO OF CREW EXITING CAPSULE PLAY
VIDEO: AERIAL FOOTAGE OF THE SOYUZ SAFELY LANDING PLAY
VIDEO: SOYUZ TMA-18 DEPARTS THE SPACE STATION PLAY
VIDEO: CREW BOARDS SOYUZ CAPSULE FOR DEPARTURE PLAY
VIDEO: SPACE STATION CHANGE OF COMMAND CEREMONY PLAY
MORE: EXPEDITION 24 VIDEO COVERAGE
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With Skvortsov, Kornienko and Caldwell Dyson back on the planet safe and sound, the International Space Station continues to circle Earth with the new Expedition 25 crew of commander Doug Wheelock, astronaut Shannon Walker and cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin.

Another three-person crew -- NASA's Scott Kelly and Russians Alexander Kaleri and Oleg Skripochka -- will launch aboard a Soyuz from Baikonur Cosmodrome on October 7 at 7:10 p.m. EDT and reach the space station October 9 at 8:01 p.m. EDT to boost the outpost's resident team to the full size of six members.

The station partners have begun employing "indirect crew handovers" that see the returning members land a couple of weeks prior to their replacements launching.

All three space fliers are looking healthy and happy after their safe landing. They'll be choppered to a nearby Kazakh city of Karaganda, then the two cosmonauts will take a plane back to Star City outside Moscow. Caldwell Dyson will board a NASA aircraft for the long flight to Houston.

Skvortsov and Kornienko are eating fresh cucumbers.

Mikhail Kornienko has been extracted from the Soyuz after his first spaceflight. He's now being seated outside in a reclining chair next to Skvortsov and Caldwell Dyson.

Kornienko was born in the Kuibyshev region of Russia. His path to becoming an International Space Station flight engineer began as paratrooper in the late 1970s, then earning an engineering degree before leading a ground team that serviced the Russian space shuttle Buran. He was selected as a cosmonaut candidate in 1998.

Caldwell Dyson is talking on a satellite telephone.

NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson has exited the Soyuz after her second trip to the International Space Station. Including her earlier space shuttle ride, she's now accumulated 189 days in space.

She flew aboard Endeavour's STS-118 space station construction mission in 2007 before taking this long-duration Expedition. Born in Arcadia, California, she previously worked as an electrician and holds a Ph.D. in chemistry.

Skvortsov now enjoying the traditional post-landing apple. He appears to be in great shape.

Alexander Skvortsov has been assisted out of the capsule's center seat. The Russian air force colonel is back on Earth from his initial Expedition mission to the International Space Station.

Born near Moscow in 1966, he graduated as a pilot-engineer, later attended an air defense academy and was working on a law degree during the time before his first spaceflight.

The recovery team will erect the inflatable medical tent where the Soyuz crew can remove their spacesuits and undergo preliminary exams.

The recovery team aboard a convoy of Russian helicopters is touching down around the spacecraft to begin assisting the crew out of the capsule. The Soyuz came to rest upright.

The unofficial landing time has been marked at 1:23 a.m. EDT.

LANDING CONFIRMED! The Russian Soyuz TMA-18 capsule has landed in Kazakhstan, capping the 176-day voyage of Alexander Skvortsov, Mikhail Kornienko and Tracy Caldwell Dyson to the International Space Station.

Standing by for confirmation of touchdown.

At an altitude of about 12 meters, cockpit displays will tell cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov to prepare for the soft landing engine firing. Just one meter above the surface, and just seconds before touchdown, the six solid propellant engines are fired in a final braking maneuver, enabling the Soyuz to land to complete its mission, settling down at a velocity of about 1.5 meters per second.

Now five minutes to touchdown as Soyuz descends to Kazakhstan under its main parachute.

At an altitude of five kilometers, the module's heat shield is scheduled to be jettisoned. This is followed by the termination of the aerodynamic spin cycle and the dumping of any residual propellant from the Soyuz. Computers also will arm the module's seat shock absorbers in preparation for landing.

With the jettisoning of the capsule's heat shield, the Soyuz altimeter is exposed to the surface of the Earth. Using a reflector system, signals are bounced to the ground from the Soyuz and reflected back, providing the capsule's computers updated information on altitude and rate of descent.

Recovery forces flying in the landing zone report they have established contact with the Soyuz.

Once the drogue chute is jettisoned, the main parachute is deployed. It is connected to the Descent Module by two harnesses, covers an area of about 1,000 square meters and slows descent to 7.2 meters/second.

Initially, the Descent Module will hang underneath the main parachute at a 30-degree angle with respect to the horizon for aerodynamic stability, but the bottommost harness will be severed a few minutes before landing, allowing the Descent Module to hang vertically through touchdown.

Onboard computers should be starting a commanded sequence for deployment of the capsule's parachutes at an altitude of about 10 kilometers. Two "pilot" parachutes are unfurled first, extracting a 24-square-meter drogue parachute. Within 16 seconds, the craft's fall will slow from 230 meters per second to about 80 m/s.

The parachute deployment creates a gentle spin for the Soyuz as it dangles underneath the drogue chute, assisting in the capsule's stability in the final minutes before touchdown.

In communications with Russian flight controllers, commander Alexander Skvortsov reports the crew is doing fine. Everything is going by the book.

The crew should be experiencing the period of maximum G-loads during entry.

Twenty minutes to landing. The Soyuz is making its fiery plunge into the atmosphere now.

Entry Interface. The Soyuz is now hitting the upper fringes of the atmosphere at an altitude of 400,000 feet. The Expedition crew will soon begin to feel the first tugs of Earth's gravity after six months in space.

The entry guidance by the spacecraft's onboard software package is scheduled to start in a couple of minutes.

Module separation has occurred, commander Alexander Skvortsov reports.

The three segments of the Soyuz TMA-18 spacecraft have jettisoned apart, allowing the crew-carrying Descent Module to safely ferry the three crew members back to Earth. The no-longer-needed Orbital Module and Instrumentation/Propulsion Module are designed to burn up in the atmosphere.

The Soyuz computers have been loaded with the commands to perform the pyrotechnic separation of the modules.

The crew members have closed their helmet visors.

Time to touchdown is now 30 minutes.

In about five minutes at an altitude of 87 miles, just above the first traces of the Earth's atmosphere, computers will command the separation of the three modules that comprise the Soyuz vehicle. With the crew strapped in to the Descent Module, the forward Orbital Module containing the docking mechanism and rendezvous antennas and the rear Instrumentation/Propulsion Module, which houses the engines and avionics, will pyrotechnically separate and burn up in the atmosphere.

The Descent Module's computers will orient the capsule with its ablative heat shield pointing forward to repel the buildup of heat as it plunges into the atmosphere. Entry interface at the upper fringes of the atmosphere, when the capsule is about 400,000 feet above the Earth, happens about three minutes after module separation.

Now crossing Africa.

With the deorbit burn accomplished, the fleet of helicopters in the search and recovery forces has departed the staging area in Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, bound for the intended Soyuz landing zone.

BURN COMPLETE! The Soyuz has performed its braking maneuver, committing the craft for entry into the atmosphere. Touchdown is about 46 minutes away.

The craft is flying backward over the south-central Atlantic Ocean on a northeasterly trajectory bound for Africa and eventually Asia where landing is expected at 1:21 a.m. EDT in central Kazakhstan, or 11:21 a.m. local time.

Good chamber pressure, good performance from the braking engines.

BURN IGNITION! Thrusters on the Russian Soyuz spacecraft are firing to brake from orbit. This deorbit burn is expected to last four minutes and 21 seconds to put the capsule on a course for the trip back to Earth.

Clocks are counting down to ignition of the deorbit burn at 12:31:17 a.m. EDT. It will slow the Soyuz by 258 miles per hour.

The weather forecast at the landing zone calls for just some scattered clouds, light winds and temperatures in the high 40s F.

Soyuz has moved about 7.5 miles away from the space station for the deorbit burn that's coming up in 30 minutes.

Command of the International Space Station now belongs to the new Expedition 25 commander Doug Wheelock, astronaut Shannon Walker and cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin. They'll be joined by another American and two Russians when the next Soyuz docks on October 9.

The 15-second separation firing by the Soyuz's thrusters has been completed to accelerate the spacecraft's departure from the outpost. The deorbit burn is coming up at 12:31 a.m., with landing in Kazakhstan still expected at 1:21 a.m. EDT.

The undocking occurred 222 miles over the Russian-Mongolian border.

UNDOCKING. The Soyuz TMA-18 spacecraft has separated from the space station after 174 days there, setting the stage for tonight's return to Earth.

The undocking command has been issued. Hooks and latches holding the Soyuz and the station's Poisk module tightly together are being opened now.

Soyuz's docking mechanism has been powered up. The station's thrusters have been inhibited for the upcoming undocking event.

In the next few minutes, the International Space Station will be placed into a "free drift" mode in preparation for the Soyuz departure. The complex has been maneuvered into the proper orientation for undocking.

The homeward-bound crew has worked together for the past couple of hours to power up the Soyuz, active the craft's systems, remove docking clamps, depressurize the vestibule between the capsule and station, and don their Sokol spacesuits. Everything has gone very smoothly tonight for undocking at 10:02 p.m. EDT.

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For the second day in a row, Russian commander Alexander Skvortsov, cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko and American astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson have boarded their Soyuz capsule parked at the Poisk module for tonight's rescheduled undocking and return to Earth.

Hatch closure was called at 6:35 p.m. EDT.

Here's the revised timeline of activities through touchdown time:

The undocking sequence begin when the command is sent at 10:02 p.m. EDT (0202 GMT) to open hooks and latches on the Soyuz-side of the docking interface that have firmly held the capsule to the station docking port. Physical separation between the two craft occurs three minutes later at 10:05 p.m.

After moving a short distance from the station, the Soyuz engines will fire for 15 seconds to execute the so-called separation burn to propel the craft out of the orbiting lab's vicinity.

About two-and-a-half hours later, the capsule's engines will ignite for the deorbit burn to brake from space. The onboard computers will initiate an engine firing at 12:31:17 a.m. EDT (0431:17 GMT) that slows the ship just enough to slip out of orbit for the return to Earth. The burn will last four minutes and 21 seconds.

Shortly before reaching the top of the atmosphere, the Soyuz's three distinct modules will separate at 12:56:10 a.m. EDT (0456:10 GMT) under computer command. The crew will be located in the Descent Module, which is sandwiched between the forward Orbital Module containing the docking mechanism and the rear Instrumentation and Propulsion Module housing the engines and avionics.

The Descent Module orients itself to point the ablative heat shield in the direction of travel to protect the craft and crew from the intense plunge back to Earth. At 12:59:12 a.m. (0459:12 GMT) and an altitude of 63 miles, the moment of Entry Interface occurs as the capsule hits the upper fringes of the atmosphere for the fiery re-entry.

During the fall to Earth, the Orbital Module and Instrumentation and Propulsion Module will burn up in the atmosphere.

About seven minutes after Entry Interface, the crew will experience the period of maximum G-loads during entry at an altitude of 20 miles, as they feel the tug of Earth's gravity for the first time since launch.

At 1:07:42 a.m. (0507:42 GMT), the onboard computers will start a commanded sequence for deployment of the capsule's parachutes at an altitude of about 6.6 miles. Two "pilot" parachutes are unfurled first, extracting a drogue parachute.

The parachute deployment creates a gentle spin for the Soyuz as it dangles underneath the drogue chute, assisting in the capsule's stability in the final minutes before touchdown.

The drogue chute will be jettisoned, allowing the main parachute to be deployed. It is connected to the Descent Module by two harnesses.

Initially, the Descent Module will hang underneath the main parachute at a 30-degree angle with respect to the horizon for aerodynamic stability, but the bottommost harness will be severed a few minutes before landing, allowing the Descent Module to hang vertically through touchdown.

At an altitude of just over three miles, the heat shield will be cast free. That is followed by dumping of any residual propellant from the Soyuz.

Once the heat shield is gone, the Soyuz altimeter is exposed to the surface of the Earth. Using a reflector system, signals are bounced to the ground from the Soyuz and reflected back, providing the capsule's computers updated information on altitude and rate of descent.

At an altitude of about 40 feet, cockpit displays will tell the crew to prepare for the soft landing engine firing. Just seconds before touchdown, the six solid propellant engines are fired in a final braking maneuver, enabling the Soyuz to land to complete its mission.

Touchdown is expected at 1:21:53 a.m. EDT (0521:53 GMT) on the steppes of central Kazakhstan. The target landing spot is 49.56 degrees North latitude and 66.57 degrees East longitude. The mission concludes with a duration of 176 days, 1 hour and 17 minutes.

Installation of electrical jumpers that mimic an expected-but-absent "hatch locked" signal in the docking mechanism of the space station's Poisk module appears to have resolved a glitch that prevented three crew members from undocking and landing early Friday, officials said.

With a temporary fix in place, outgoing Expedition 24 commander Alexander Skvortsov, flight engineer Mikhail Kornienko and NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson should be clear for another attempt to depart the space station Friday evening.

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Engineers are thinking that the earlier difficulty closing the hatchway and the microswitches not indicating the door was tightly sealed prevented the circuitry from passing the commands to open the docking hooks. They are assessing a workaround to bypass this condition.

The preliminary undocking time Friday night would be 10:02 p.m. EDT, leading to a deorbit burn at 12:32 a.m. and a landing time of 1:22 a.m. EDT.

Russian flight controllers hope to reschedule the landing for Friday night, a 24-hour delay in bringing Soyuz TMA-18 home.

Officials have not established a new date and time for the landing. Engineers will be analyzing telemetry, photographs and data to determine how to fix the problem with the docking port hooks that have prevented the Soyuz departure tonight.

SCRUB. Landing of the Expedition 24 crew aboard the Soyuz capsule has been cancelled for today. The spacecraft's hatch will be reopened shortly so the crew to float back into the International Space Station.

Russian flight controllers have cancelled the planned maneuver to put the space station into the undocking orientation. If undocking does not happen at 12:40 a.m., that would pass up the final opportunity to land the Soyuz this morning.

Troubleshooting continues to understand why the docking hooks on the Poisk module of the International Space Station won't respond to commands to open their grip on the Soyuz capsule.

That has delayed the undocking by two orbits while the crew and flight controllers work the problem. So far, there's been no resolution to the situation.

Examinations of the docking port by Fyodor Yurchikhin has revealed two broken teeth in a gear mechanism. Russian specialists are looking at the video that was downlinked to the ground.

Earlier this evening, the crew had run into problems while trying to close the Poisk hatchway. They fought some resistance in getting the hatch shut. But subsequent leak checks indicated the hatch was air-tight.

Whether the two issues are related isn't yet known.

Here's the latest timeline for the delayed undocking and return of the Soyuz TMA-18 craft from the International Space Station, assuming the hook problem can be resolved in time.

Physical separation is scheduled to occur at 12:40 a.m. EDT (0440 GMT). After moving a short distance from the station, the Soyuz engines will fire for 15 seconds to execute the so-called separation burn to propel the craft out of the orbiting lab's vicinity.

About two-and-a-half hours later, the capsule's engines will ignite for the deorbit burn to brake from space. The onboard computers will initiate an engine firing at 3:14:35 a.m. EDT (0714:35 GMT) that slows the ship just enough to slip out of orbit for the return to Earth. The burn will last four minutes and 21 seconds.

Shortly before reaching the top of the atmosphere, the Soyuz's three distinct modules will separate at 3:39:46 a.m. EDT under computer command. The crew will be located in the Descent Module, which is sandwiched between the forward Orbital Module containing the docking mechanism and the rear Instrumentation and Propulsion Module housing the engines and avionics.

The Descent Module orients itself to point the ablative heat shield in the direction of travel to protect the craft and crew from the intense plunge back to Earth. At 3:42 a.m. and an altitude of 63 miles, the moment of Entry Interface occurs as the capsule hits the upper fringes of the atmosphere for the fiery re-entry.

During the fall to Earth, the Orbital Module and Instrumentation and Propulsion Module will burn up in the atmosphere.

About seven minutes after Entry Interface, the crew will experience the period of maximum G-loads during entry at an altitude of 20 miles, as they feel the tug of Earth's gravity for the first time since launch.

At 3:51 a.m. EDT, the onboard computers will start a commanded sequence for deployment of the capsule's parachutes at an altitude of about 6.6 miles. Two "pilot" parachutes are unfurled first, extracting a drogue parachute.

The parachute deployment creates a gentle spin for the Soyuz as it dangles underneath the drogue chute, assisting in the capsule's stability in the final minutes before touchdown.

The drogue chute will be jettisoned, allowing the main parachute to be deployed. It is connected to the Descent Module by two harnesses.

Initially, the Descent Module will hang underneath the main parachute at a 30-degree angle with respect to the horizon for aerodynamic stability, but the bottommost harness will be severed a few minutes before landing, allowing the Descent Module to hang vertically through touchdown.

At an altitude of just over three miles, the heat shield will be cast free. That is followed by dumping of any residual propellant from the Soyuz.

Once the heat shield is gone, the Soyuz altimeter is exposed to the surface of the Earth. Using a reflector system, signals are bounced to the ground from the Soyuz and reflected back, providing the capsule's computers updated information on altitude and rate of descent.

At an altitude of about 40 feet, cockpit displays will tell the crew to prepare for the soft landing engine firing. Just seconds before touchdown, the six solid propellant engines are fired in a final braking maneuver, enabling the Soyuz to land to complete its mission.

Touchdown is expected at 4:05:27 a.m. EDT (0805:27 GMT) on the steppes of northern Kazakhstan.

Landing of the Soyuz has been delayed two orbits, Russian flight controllers have informed the crew. That would begin with undocking at 12:35 a.m., a deorbit burn at 3:10 a.m. and touchdown in northern Kazakhstan at 4:06 a.m. EDT (0806 GMT).

The Poisk module was launched on November 10, 2009 and reached the International Space Station two days later. It became the new docking compartment on the zenith, or upward-facing side of the Zvezda service module, and received its first Soyuz capsule on January 21.

This current Soyuz TMA-18 crew transport has been parked there since April 4.

There are two backup landing opportunities on subsequent orbits to bring the Soyuz down in Kazakhstan early Friday.

With the undocking delayed, the original 12:55 a.m. EDT touchdown time is likely waved off. The later landing times are approximately 2:30 and 4 a.m. EDT.

However, no official decisions have been made. Engineers continue to analyze the problem with the hooks.

The scheduled undocking of Soyuz TMA-18 from the International Space Station was supposed to occur right now. But the departure is on hold because of the inability to command the structural hooks on the Poisk module's side of the docking interface to open up.

Slipping the Soyuz undocking by one orbit is the backup option available. That would delay activities by roughly 90 minutes, giving controllers additional time to troubleshoot the Poisk hook problem.

U.S. controllers in Houston are consulting with their Russian counterparts about potentially delaying the Soyuz departure.

Russian flight controllers are instructing Fyodor Yurchikhin to float next to the Poisk hatch and listen for any sounds coming from the hook drive mechanism. Engineers say the system is not responding to commands being issued to open those hooks that hold the Soyuz and station tightly together.

The scheduled undocking time is just 7 minutes away.

The International Space Station just passed into an orbital sunrise. The outpost has been maneuvered into the undocking orientation.

Another issue being assessed is a problem sending commands to the hooks on the Poisk-side of the docking port in preparation to release the Soyuz capsule. Those hooks had been opened temporarily earlier tonight, then closed. But when the crew attempts to disengage them for undocking, they were unable.

After the Poisk hooks release, the Soyuz's hooks let go just before physical separation of the capsule from the space station.

Mission Control has verified through pressure leak checks that the hatchway between the station and Soyuz is sealed and air-tight.

Undocking remains scheduled for 9:35 p.m. EDT. The deorbit burn lasting 4 minutes and 21 seconds starts 12:04 a.m. EDT, leading to separation of the Soyuz modules at 12:29 a.m. and hitting the atmosphere at 12:32 a.m. Touchdown is expected at 12:55 a.m. EDT.

The leak check appears to be good on the hatchway. Pressure is stable. But one more test will be performed to add confidence that all is fine.

Meanwhile, approval has been given for Skvortsov, Kornienko and Caldwell Dyson to start donning their Sokol spacesuits for tonight's re-entry and landing.

The vestibule between the Poisk module and Soyuz spacecraft has been depressurized. Checks for leaks are underway.

A leak test is going to be performed to verify if the hatchway is air-tight or not. Undocking time for the Soyuz is just over two hours away.

The confirms that the Soyuz hatch closed as planned. But closure of hatch in the station's Poisk compartment has encountered a problem getting the proper indication from microswitches of a good seal.

The homeward-bound trio has boarded the Soyuz spacecraft for tonight's journey from the International Space Station to the landing site in Kazakhstan. However, the crew isn't receiving the expected indication that the hatchway between the capsule and station is sealing properly. Flight controllers in Moscow are assessing the situation with the cosmonauts.

Two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut will depart the International Space Station tonight and return to Earth in a parachute-equipped Soyuz descent capsule after a half-year in orbit.

Russian commander Alexander Skvortsov, cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko and American astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson are heading home after their tour-of-duty as part of Expeditions 23 and 24.

The trio will say their farewells to the station's other residents -- the new Expedition 25 commander Doug Wheelock, Shannon Walker and Fyodor Yurchikhin -- then float into the Soyuz TMA-18 craft currently docked to the station's Poisk module and close the hatchway at 6:20 p.m. EDT.

The homeward-bound crew will work together for a next couple of hours to power up the Soyuz, active the craft's systems, remove docking clamps, depressurize the vestibule between the capsule and station and perform other work to ready for undocking.

Skvortsov, Kornienko and Caldwell Dyson have been living on the station since April 4. Their departure begins the next rotation of crews and change of Expedition mission number.

Once the undocking happens, the station will be staffed by just Wheelock, Walker and Yurchikhin until another Russian Soyuz spacecraft launches October 7 and docks two days later, boosting the crew back to the full size of six with the addition of Alexander Kaleri, Scott Kelly and Oleg Skripochka.

Tonight's Soyuz departure activities begin when the command to open hooks and latches firmly holding the capsule to its docking port is sent at 9:32 p.m. EDT (0132 GMT). Physical separation between the two craft occurs three minutes later at 9:35 p.m.

After moving a short distance from the station, the Soyuz engines will fire for 15 seconds to execute the so-called separation burn to propel the craft out of the orbiting lab's vicinity.

About two-and-a-half hours later, the capsule's engines will ignite for the deorbit burn to brake from space. The onboard computers will initiate an engine firing at 12:04 a.m. EDT (0404 GMT) that slows the ship just enough to slip out of orbit for the return to Earth. The burn will last four minutes and 21 seconds.

Shortly before reaching the top of the atmosphere, the Soyuz's three distinct modules will separate at 12:29 a.m. EDT (0429 GMT) under computer command. The crew will be located in the Descent Module, which is sandwiched between the forward Orbital Module containing the docking mechanism and the rear Instrumentation and Propulsion Module housing the engines and avionics.

The Descent Module orients itself to point the ablative heat shield in the direction of travel to protect the craft and crew from the intense plunge back to Earth. At 12:32 a.m. (0432 GMT) and an altitude of 63 miles, the moment of Entry Interface occurs as the capsule hits the upper fringes of the atmosphere for the fiery re-entry.

During the fall to Earth, the Orbital Module and Instrumentation and Propulsion Module will burn up in the atmosphere.

About seven minutes after Entry Interface, the crew will experience the period of maximum G-loads during entry at an altitude of 20 miles, as they feel the tug of Earth's gravity for the first time since launch.

At 12:40 a.m. (0440 GMT), the onboard computers will start a commanded sequence for deployment of the capsule's parachutes at an altitude of about 6.6 miles. Two "pilot" parachutes are unfurled first, extracting a drogue parachute.

The parachute deployment creates a gentle spin for the Soyuz as it dangles underneath the drogue chute, assisting in the capsule's stability in the final minutes before touchdown.

The drogue chute will be jettisoned, allowing the main parachute to be deployed. It is connected to the Descent Module by two harnesses.

Initially, the Descent Module will hang underneath the main parachute at a 30-degree angle with respect to the horizon for aerodynamic stability, but the bottommost harness will be severed a few minutes before landing, allowing the Descent Module to hang vertically through touchdown.

At an altitude of just over three miles, the heat shield will be cast free. That is followed by dumping of any residual propellant from the Soyuz.

Once the heat shield is gone, the Soyuz altimeter is exposed to the surface of the Earth. Using a reflector system, signals are bounced to the ground from the Soyuz and reflected back, providing the capsule's computers updated information on altitude and rate of descent.

At an altitude of about 40 feet, cockpit displays will tell the crew to prepare for the soft landing engine firing. Just seconds before touchdown, the six solid propellant engines are fired in a final braking maneuver, enabling the Soyuz to land to complete its mission.

Touchdown is expected at 12:55 a.m. EDT (0455 GMT) on the steppes of central Kazakhstan. The target landing spot is 47.22 degrees North latitude and 69.35 degrees East longitude. The mission concludes with a duration of 175 days, 0 hours and 51 minutes.

A group of Russian helicopters carrying the recovery forces should arrive soon after landing to help the crew exit the capsule.

Each crew member will be placed in special reclining chairs near the capsule for initial medical tests and begin readapting to Earth's gravity. They will be transferred into a portable medical tent erected near the touchdown point where the three crew members can remove their spacesuits.

Post-landing plans call for the crew to be flown from the site in helicopters.

Watch this page for live updates during the undocking and landing.

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Outgoing Expedition 24 commander Alexander Skvortsov handed over control of the International Space Station to Douglas Wheelock Wednesday in a change-of-command ceremony that sets the stage for the departure and return to Earth of Skvortsov, Mikhail Kornienko and Tracy Caldwell Dyson early Friday aboard a Russian Soyuz capsule.

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