In a stunning showcase of space exploration, photographer Andrew McConnell captures the dramatic moment of a Soyuz spacecraft landing in his series *Some Worlds Have Two Suns*. This breathtaking image highlights the extraordinary realities of our planet’s space missions.
Since 2015, McConnell has been documenting the Russian Soyuz rockets, with missions departing every three months from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. Each launch carries three astronauts to the International Space Station, while simultaneously, three space travelers return to Earth, touching down in Kazakhstan’s remote grasslands.
This remarkable 2017 photograph depicts a ground crew member in front of the recently landed Soyuz MS spacecraft, with US astronauts Peggy Whitson and Jack Fischer and Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin still aboard.
McConnell recounts the landing scenes, saying, “Often, helicopters arrive first carrying engineers and support crew,” which complicates capturing the moment. However, this particular shot stands out as he positioned himself before the helicopters could stir up a sandstorm, resulting in a photo he describes as “special” and “otherworldly.”
Accompanied by Kulash Akhmetova’s poignant poem *Prayer* — “I saw sandstorms – they wiped out the steppe settlement / I saw rockets – like visions, they hovered above me” — *Some Worlds Have Two Suns* will be released on 4 October.
Article amended on 4 October 2024
The man in the photograph is a member of the ground crew. Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin is in the vehicle.
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