Astronauts should be some of the most celebrated individuals in the world. They're pushing the boundaries of what humans can experience and they're helping secure the future survival of our species by probing the frontiers of humanity's cosmic territory. It's almost a shame that it's taken a well-sung video of Ground Control to Major Tom, by Canadian astronaut Chris Hadsfield, for us to learn his name. Despite this though, this morning he arrived safely back on the good ol' blue marble along with his colleagues, Tom Marshburn and Roman Romanenko.
They touched down at 02:21 GMT this morning in Kazkhstan, with Romanenko piloting the craft. All men are said to be healthy and readjusting to their now weighted forms.
Hadsfield has made quite a splash while aboard the International Space Station over the past few months, tweeting out pictures and messages that show not only the stunning vistas they're able to take in up there, but also about how the ISS operates. It's a stark difference to astronauts of the past, which were only viewable on a TV screen via official footage.
This ultimately led to the David Bowie cover a few days before his journey home, which turned him from a social networking pioneer, into an internet sensation. It'll be interesting to see what he does now he's back on land.
KitGuru Says: Something tells me his twitpics won't be quite as good, though at least the available food will be far better. [Thanks Wired]