AlHijjah 26, 1432, Nov 22, 2011, SPA - A Russian Soyuz capsule carrying three astronauts back from the International Space Station touched down safely in the snow-covered steppes of Kazakhstan early Tuesday morning. NASA astronaut Michael Fossum, Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov and Satoshi Furukawa of Japan's JAXA space agency landed at the break of dawn some 90 kilometers (56 miles) north of the town of Arkalyk at 8:26 a.m. (0226 GMT) after spending 165 days in space. The landing was close to its target point. NASA spokesman Josh Byerly said the recovery operation was swift despite the freezing weather and strong wind, according to a report of the Associated Press.
