An astronaut and a Cosmonaut who have been in space more than six months have begun their return to Earth aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
American space station Commander Bill McArthur and Russian Cosmonaut Valery Tokarev and American Bill McArthur have separated from the International Space Station and are preparing for reentry. They had been aboard the space station since October, and they are scheduled to land in Kazakhstan at about 23:45 Universal time.
Brazilian astronaut Marcos Pontes is also returning aboard the Soyuz capsule. Pontes became the first Brazilian in space when he traveled to the International Space Station last week along with the station's replacement crew.
In an interview earlier this week McArthur said he and Tokarev were pleased with the science they accomplished. He also said he is looking forward to going home and visiting family.