The crew of the Soyuz capsule that landed in Kazakhstan hundreds of kilometers (miles) off-target after an unexpectedly severe descent was in serious danger, a Russian news agency reported Tuesday. Normal reentries of the Soyuz use the bottom of the capsule somewhat like a wing and “fly” the capsule. A ballistic descent is essentially straight down. It’s a rougher ride but survivable and several Soyuz capsules have reentered that way. However, this descent, the capsule not only reentered balistically, but in the wrong orientation. It reentered hatch first which seriously damaged the capsule.
Everyone knows heat shields down is the preferred orientation for reentry!
