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From the stars to the steppes How Kazakhstan welcomes ISS astronauts back to Earth
Source: Meduza
Andrew McConnell / Museum of Cosmonautics
For the first time in Russia, images by the Irish photographer and two-time World Press Photo award winner Andrew McConnell will be displayed in a public exhibit. Re-entry is open in Moscow’s Museum of Cosmonautics until March 31. The foundation of the project is a set of photographs McConnell took in Kazakhstan during reentry missions from the International Space Station. Here, Meduza offers a preview of those photos.
A ground-based search and rescue team waits for a SoyuzTMA-15M spacecraft to enter its field of view. Kazakhstan, June 2015
Andrew McConnell / Museum of Cosmonautics
A search and rescue team waits for a Soyuz MC-01 unit to reenter Earth’s atmosphere. This all-terrain vehicle from a Bluebird search unit is designed to search for and transport spaceships after landing even in unfavorable weather conditions. Kazakhstan, June 2015
Andrew McConnell / Museum of Cosmonautics
Bluebird search and rescue vehicles gather in the steppe before a Soyuz MS-01 landing. Kazakhstan, October 2016
Andrew McConnell / Museum of Cosmonautics
Search and rescue workers help Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen exit a SoyuzTMA-16M landing craft. Kazakhstan, September 2015
Andrew McConnell / Museum of Cosmonautics
A SoyuzTMA-19M unit after landing. Kazakhstan, June 2016
Andrew McConnell / Museum of Cosmonautics
Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka enjoys an apple after returning to Earth on a SoyuzTMA-17M spacecraft. Fresh produce is a rarity on the ISS, so cosmonauts and astronauts are often treated to fruits and vegetables when they land. Padalka is the world record holder for the total amount of time spent in space by one person; he has been away from the blue marble for a total of 878 days. Kazakhstan, September 2015
Andrew McConnell / Museum of Cosmonautics
A SoyuzTMA-19M rocket is transported to Launch Platform 1. Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, December 2015
Andrew McConnell / Museum of Cosmonautics
A young boy plays with fragments of a rocket booster. After separation from the rocket itself, segments of the rocket booster can fall more than 370 miles from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Kazakhstan, March 2018
Andrew McConnell / Museum of Cosmonautics
Horses caper near abandoned buildings that formerly housed a resin factory. Saran, Karagandinskaya Oblast, Kazakhstan, March 2018
Andrew McConnell / Museum of Cosmonautics
Three chairs sit in the Kazakh steppe near a spacecraft landing zone. For many years, cosmonauts and astronauts have sat in chairs like these after emerging from Soyuz landing crafts. Kazakhstan, October 2016.
Andrew McConnell / Museum of Cosmonautics