L-385: Veteran’s Day

It’s a federal holiday today here in the US, so no training.
Happy Veterans’ Day, especially to those who have served!

While I enjoy a pleasant sunny day in Texas- one of my last days at this latitude before flying to Europe on Friday – Luca and Karen are on their way to Houston after their safe landing last night. Reentering from orbit takes only a few hours, but the trip from Kazakhstan is quite a bit longer. They will arrive late tonight and will spend a few days in dedicated crew quarters at Johnson Space Center, before the flight surgeons will clear them to go home. Their schedules in the coming weeks will be busy with rehabilitation, collection of scientific data and debriefs. And of course with catching up with family and friends, who’ll likely have a lot questions!

If you’re interesting in learning more about the Soyuz reentry and landing, I recommend this brand-new video produced by the European Astronaut Center. It’s a mix of real footage – including from inside the descent module – great 3D animations and interviews with veteran astronauts who’ve been on that roller coaster ride before. I think you’ll enjoy it!