Andrew McConnell, a photographer known for his work in conflict zones, shifted his focus to documenting the landing of Russian Soyuz spacecraft in Kazakhstan. He was captivated by the 'obscure yet extraordinary' event of astronauts returning from the International Space Station to a remote location. McConnell traveled to Kazakhstan multiple times, working with local photographers and a ground crew that intercepted the capsules. He aimed to capture the astronauts' expressions after the intense journey back to Earth.
Space travel’s documentarians have long been preoccupied by departures — launchpads engulfed in billowing smoke and flames shooting from ascendant rocket boosters. But after seeing footage of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft crash down on the remote Kazakh Steppe 10 years ago, photographer Andrew McConnell became more enraptured by astronauts’ unceremonious return to Earth.
had decommissioned its Space Shuttle program four years earlier, meaning the former Soviet republic was, at the time, the only gateway to the ISS. With the help of local photographers, McConnell contacted the crew that intercepts the capsules after their three-and-a-half-hour journey to Earth. He camped out with them on the grasslands northeast of the Russian-owned Baikonur Cosmodrome , waiting for what he called the “big explosion in the sky” that marked the spacecraft’s reentry.
Space Travel Soyuz Spacecraft Kazakhstan Astronaut Return International Space Station
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