YEKATERINBURG (Sputnik) – US space agency NASA thanked Russian military for promptly rescuing its astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexei Ovchinin after an aborted Soyuz mission in October, the Russian Central Military District said in a statement on Wednesday.
“During a solemn event, Roscosmos and NASA officials thanked crews… for their outstanding support in an emergency,” the statement said.
The military added that crews of An-12 planes, Mi-8 helicopters, and ground vehicles, which took part in the rescue operation, were awarded. They included paratroopers, military doctors and rescuers.
The remarks come after space travelers crash-landed in Kazakhstan on October 11 after the booster carrying their Soyuz capsule to the International Space Station failed in mid-flight.
The Soyuz crew jettisoned the carrier rocket using an emergency escape system, which sent them into a steep fall back to earth. They were picked up in good health by a search-and-rescue team.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
