Army astronaut completes stay at ISS with Expedition 23

By Ms. Giselle Bodin (ACC )June 3, 2010

NASA astronaut T.J. Creamer, Expedition 23 flight engineer, is carried in a chair to the medical tent just minutes after he and fellow crew members Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi landed in their Soyuz TMA-17...
1 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – NASA astronaut T.J. Creamer, Expedition 23 flight engineer, is carried in a chair to the medical tent just minutes after he and fellow crew members Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi landed in their Soyuz TMA-17 capsul... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
The Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft lands near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on June 2, 2010. NASA astronaut T.J. Creamer, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi are returning from six months onboard the International...
2 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – The Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft lands near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on June 2, 2010. NASA astronaut T.J. Creamer, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov and Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi are returning from six months onboard the International Space ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
3 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Three Expedition 23 crew members have just been seated in chairs near their Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft just minutes after they landed near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on June 2, 2010. In the chairs, from the left, are Japan Aerospace...
4 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Three Expedition 23 crew members have just been seated in chairs near their Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft just minutes after they landed near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, on June 2, 2010. In the chairs, from the left, are Japan Aerospace Exploration... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
NASA astronaut T.J. Creamer, Expedition 23 flight engineer, sits in a chair outside the Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft just minutes after he and two crewmates landed in their capsule near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, June 2, 2010. Creamer, along...
5 / 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption – NASA astronaut T.J. Creamer, Expedition 23 flight engineer, sits in a chair outside the Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft just minutes after he and two crewmates landed in their capsule near the town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, June 2, 2010. Creamer, along with... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

NASA Astronaut flight engineer and Army Col. T.J. Creamer landed along with Expedition 23 Commander Oleg Kotov and flight engineer Soichi Noguchi in Kazakhstan, June 1, wrapping up a five-and-a-half-month stay aboard the International Space Station.

The spacecraft undocked at 8:04 p.m. EDT from the aft port on the station's Zvezda module. The crew landed at 11:25 p.m., east of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan.

Russian recovery teams were on hand to help the crew exit the Soyuz vehicle and adjust to gravity after 163 days in space. Creamer will return to Houston on Wednesday.

The trio launched aboard the Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Dec. 21, 2009. As members of the Expedition 22 and 23 crews, they spent 161 days on the station.

They supported three space shuttle missions that delivered the U.S. Tranquility module and its cupola; put the finishing touches on U.S. laboratory research facilities; and attached the Russian Rassvet laboratory and storage module.

Research conducted during Expedition 23 took advantage of the microgravity conditions for a wide variety of fields, including human life sciences, biological science, human physiology, physical and materials science and Earth and space science.

The station is currently occupied by the Expedition 24 commander and two flight engineers, who arrived April 4. A new trio of Expedition 24 flight engineers will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on June 15.

This trio is scheduled to include Army astronaut Col. Doug Wheelock.

Related Links:

Related Article: Soldier blasts off for mission on International Space Station

Col. T.J. Creamer's bio

Col. Doug Wheelock's bio