Posted: Mon, May 26, 2003, 3:04 PM ET (1904 GMT)
A Russian investigation into the off-target landing of the Soyuz TMA-1 spacecraft earlier this month concluded that a technical problem with the spacecraft, and not human error, was to blame. Russian investigators on Monday said they believe that a malfunction with the control system with Soyuz TMA-1 caused the capsule to break off its normal lifting descent in favor of a ballistic descent that subjected the crew to additional G-forces and caused the spacecraft to land nearly 500 kilometers from its planned target. Some Russian officials, including those with RSC Energia, the company that build Soyuz spacecraft, had previously suggested that the crew had pressed the wrong button during reentry, but now even Energia officials agree that the problem was with the spacecraft. The problem will be corrected in time for the October launch of Soyuz TMA-3, but AFP reported that Russian officials said the problem cannot be corrected with the Soyuz TMA-2 spacecraft currently docked to the ISS.

Related Links:

•  AP article
•  Interfax article
•  Voice of America article
•  AFP article