Report: Russian space capsule failure revealed

BEIJING, May 28 (Xinhuanet) -- The failure of a Russian
capsule returning from the International Space Station to perform properly
last month was becausean equipment module failed to separate from the
capsule on time, according to a Russion space official.

The Soyuz TMA-11 craft carrying U.S. astronaut Peggy
Whitson, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and South Korean bioengineer Yi
So-yeon landed hundreds of miles off course when it bounced onto the steppes of
northern Kazakhstan April 11.

The three were subjected to severe G-forces,
communications were disrupted and Russian officials said they had been in
serious danger during the descent.

Alexei Krasnov, who heads Russia's manned space
program, said after the Soyuz's separation from the space station, the equipment
bay module was supposed to detach, allowing the capsule to enter the atmosphere
and descend to Earth smoothly.

That did not happen, he said, and the Soyuz went into
a "ballistic" descent.

He said Russian experts would soon finish the final
report on the flawed landing, which was the second in a row ¡ª and the third
since 2003.

(Agencies)