Too close for comfort
The moment of truth is here. You say goodbye to your ISS colleagues, enter your cramped Soyuz capsule and close the hatch. Ahead of you is the bumpiest journey of your life.
For the last week you’ve been rehearsing your undocking and descent procedures. The undocking sequence begins, and the hooks that connect the Soyuz to the ISS detach. As you drift away, mission control uploads the data your onboard computer needs to get home.
You monitor the descent angle closely as the de-orbit procedure begins to slow you down, the Soyuz separates into three parts, the explosive bolts slamming and banging like sledgehammers. Your descent module begins its re-entry. Its heat shield is working overtime.
At 8.5 km above ground level, the capsule’s huge parachutes start to open. You feel gravity dragging on your body as you come into land.
Welcome back to Earth!
