NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Expedition 30 Commander Dan Burbank (left) and Flight Engineers Anton Shkaplerov (center) and Anatoly Ivanishin sit in chairs outside their Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft minutes after landing in a remote area outside the town of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, on April 27, 2012. Credit: NASA

The Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft carrying Expedition 30 Commander Dan Burbank and Flight Engineers Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin landed in Kazakhstan April 27, 2012 at 7:45 a.m. EDT. They undocked from the International Space Station at 4:18 a.m. officially ending their stay.

The Soyuz performed a deorbit burn at 6:49 a.m. before the descent module separated from the rest of the Russian spacecraft and entered the Earth’s atmosphere. Afterward, the Soyuz deployed several parachutes, slowing its descent, and then fired three small engines to soften its landing.

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Support personnel extracted the Expedition 30 crew members from the Soyuz and they were monitored by flight surgeons.