An upgraded Russian Soyuz TMA spacecraft carrying three returning space station fliers landed some 285 miles short of its target in Kazakhstan, kicking off a hurried search that raised post-Columbia concern among U.S. observers.

But a search aircraft finally spotted the wayward spacecraft two-and-a-half hours after landing. The searchers reported the returning space station crew, feeling the uncomfortable tug of gravity for the first time in 161 days, had managed to open the hatch and were waving as the plane flew overhead.

An artist's concept of Soyuz preparing to land. Credit: NASA

"We have landed to refuel in the town of Arkylyk," NASA spokesman Rob Navias, aboard a search helicopter, reported via satellite phone. "The bottom line is the crew is in good shape, they have landed safely, although they landed about 460 kilometers short of their target to the southwest of their intended touchdown point.

"They have opened the hatch to Soyuz TMA-1, they are waving to Russian recovery planes that are circling in the area. The crew is in good shape, they have plenty of provisions, plenty of water, plenty of warm clothing, it's a beautiful day here in north central Kazakhstan, so no issues in terms of the weather."

Support crews aboard helicopters that were staged near the planned landing site were not expected to arrive on the scene until later in the morning. Until then, Soyuz commander Nikolai Budarin, Expedition 6 commander Kenneth Bowersox and science officer Donald Pettit, "smiling and waving" to circling search crews, Navias said, were on their own, but apparently in good health.

They had hoped to land near Arkylyk, southwest of the Kazak capital of Astana, but the spacecraft apparently entered the atmosphere at a steeper angle than planned. If so, the crew likely was subjected to higher deceleration forces, or Gs, than otherwise expected.

All that's known at this point is the spacecraft's re-entry rockets fired on time as planned, slowing the ship by 258 mph. Parachutes deployed as planned later in the descent to slow the craft's sink rate to just 16 mph or so before a brief rocket firing an instant before touchdown to soften the impact.

All of that presumably occurred as planned. Just not in the right location. Russian support crews finally reached the spacecraft about four hours after touchdown and flew the crew back to Astana. From there, they were flown to Star City near Moscow for extensive medical exams and reunions with family members.

"We're doing great," Bowersox told journalists in Astana, "just a normal return to Earth."

This was the first landing by an upgraded Soyuz TMA-series spacecraft. The latest version of the venerable Russian spacecraft features more powerful flight computers, new software, better displays, additional soft-landing rockets and other improvements to accommodate taller and shorter astronauts than previous versions. The upgrades were needed to permit a broader cross section of U.S. astronauts to visit the space station and to use the TMA in the event of an emergency evacuation.

Whether the spacecraft experienced any problems during its descent that might be responsible for the off-target landing, whether crew error was involved or whether some other factor played a role was not immediately known.

The Soyuz TMA-2 spacecraft, the second upgraded model in the series, is currently docked to the international space station after carrying Expedition 7 commander Yuri Malenchenko and Edward Lu into orbit April 25. What impact, if any, today's off-target landing might have on that crew's re-entry in October is not yet known.

But with NASA's space shuttle expected to remain grounded for the rest of the year, the Soyuz is the only way for the station's current crew to get back to Earth when their six-month stay is complete.

Video coverage for subscribers only:
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   VIDEO: NASA ADMINISTRATOR SEAN O'KEEFE CALLS THE STATION QT
   VIDEO: EXPEDITION 6 CREW BIDS FAREWELL AND BOARDS SOYUZ QT
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