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Space Tourist and Space Station Crew Return to Earth


A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying two crew members and an American space tourist has returned to earth safely in Kazakhstan.

The capsule returned with American astronaut Mikhail Tyurin, Russian cosmonaut Michael Lopez-Alegria and Hungarian-born software engineer Charles Simonyi aboard. It touched down Saturday after a three-hour return trip from the international space station.

The spacecraft's homecoming was delayed by one day because of flooding in the original landing site.

Lopez-Alegria and Tyurin returned after spending seven months aboard the space station. Simonyi spent two weeks there participating in experiments.

Two Russians who traveled to the space station with Simonyi earlier this month will remain, along with an American crew member, Sunita Williams.

The ride up and back cost the 58-year-old Simonyi $25 million.

Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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