Soyuz-TMA 10

Cosmonauts:
    Upload:
        Fyodor Yurchikhin [2], Commander
        Oleg Kotov [1], Flight Engineer
        Charles Simonyi [1] (USA/Hungary)
    Download:
        Fyodor Yurchikhin
        Oleg Kotov
        Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor
Backup:
    Mikhail Korniyenko
    Yuri Romanenko
Launch:
    Date: 7 April 2007
    Time:  17:31:09 UTC
Landing:
    Date: 21 October 2007
    Time: 10:36 UTC
Duration: 196 days, 17 hours, 5 minutes
Docked: 9 April 2007 - 21 October 2007
Call Sign: Pulsar

Soyuz-TMA 10 was the replacement for Soyuz-TMA 9. The Soyuz is used as a lifeboat for the ISS. Because of fuel degradation, the Soyuz needs to be replaced every six months.

The capsule landed approximately 350 kilometers west of the primary landing site as a result of a ballistic reentry. The ballistic flight mode can not take full advantage of aerodynamic properties of the capsule, which enables a more controlled and gentle descent. The ballistic descent is available as a backup to the nominal aerodynamic flight mode. The crew was subjected to higher than nominal G-loads (as much as 8.5 G), but were otherwise unharmed.