spacetoday.net: Soyuz reentry problem under investigation

Posted: Wed, Apr 23, 2008, 8:55 AM ET (1255 GMT)
Soyuz TMA-2 landing

Russian and NASA officials are investigating Saturday's Soyuz reentry, which experienced problems more serious than initially thought when the spacecraft's propulsion module apparently did not separate cleanly. The Soyuz TMA-11 landed in Kazakhstan early Saturday nearly 500 kilometers off-target because it experienced a ballistic reentry than subjected the three-person crew to high g-forces. NASA officials said Tuesday that there is evidence that the spacecraft's propulsion module did not completely separate prior to reentry, as the crew reported unusual jarring and shaking during the initial part of the reentry. Investigators are also looking into the loss of communications during reentry as well as reports of smoke in the cabin during reentry. NASA officials, who didn't consider the reentry a "major problem", said it will take at least a month, and perhaps up to three months, to understand what happened during the reentry.