Wakata, 2 crewmates return to Earth after 6 months on space station

I hope Wakata now understands more about the cosmos than he did before.

Tyurin was heard joking that he’d like some red wine.

He was most probably NOT "joking" ! (However, not "Vodka" ?)

I wonder if Russia's feelings towards the united states will trickle down to Japan and affect their space program in any way.

I bet they feel heavy.

Feel heavy? Sure, a bit like the comments here...

I wonder if Russia's feelings towards the united states

Thank God, it seems Russians pay no attention to idiotic threats and rather stupid 'economic sanctions' from overseas. New crews are selected and new launchers are built for up-coming international manned flights to the ISS.

The US don't need Russia to get in space, we have other means to get payloads into space. We was there before Russia and will be there again with or without others, not to be arrogant, nor do the US have to send threats. We could have continued to use the Space Shuttle but we decided they were aging and retired them, we have other vehicles that we are currently working on and testing and when I say "WE" I know because I am in the middle of it with that said read between the lines!! I am a aerospace engineer not just a JP Poster who blows smoke!!

We was there before Russia...I am a aerospace engineer not just a JP poster

Really, have you ever heard of Sputnik or Mr. Yuri Gagarin ?

LOL. Perhaps, modern "aerospace engineers" aren't taught history at all ! Anyway, I am glad that Russia supports principles of international cooperation in manned space flights, staying way aside of stupid political intrigues and clashes.

We was there before Russia...I am a aerospace engineer not just a JP poster

If you really are an aerospace engineer, it would seem to me that the Russians have already won the space race.

Anyway, I am glad that Russia supports principles of international cooperation in manned space flights, staying way aside of stupid political intrigues and clashes.

Hahahahaha, nope.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/russia-to-close-space-station-in-2020/

Russia is throwing a tantrum and saying "Oh yeah? Well I'm taking MY toys and going home."

Russia is throwing a tantrum

Thanks for the link but I'd prefer to read much more credible sources. English page of Russian Space Agency, for instance.

http://government.ru/en/news/12363

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/russian-space-program-gets-52bln-boost/500157.html

There ya go.

LMAO Sputnik was a was nothing but a freaking artificial satellite mainly just and antenna a peace of junk! When I say SPACE I say MAN OF THE FREAKING MOON get your head out of your duff!! When I say aerospace engineer need I say what discipline!! IDIOT!!!

There ya go

What is your point ? An opinion of D. Rogozin concerning to NK-33 or RD-180 rocket engines or closing American GPS stations in Russia doesn't affect on international cooperation between Russian Space Agency and say, JAXA.

AGAIN Sputnik was JUNK and aluminium ball with two antennas I could make that in my garage

Actually, it was a First ever Artificial Satellite. As for "JUNK", it was US-made "Kaputnik" which exploded right on launch pad during launch attempt in eyes of millions of TV viewers. By the way, could you create also a space launcher for the satellite in your garage?

was the first country to put a "MAN ON THE MOON"

Russians probes reached lunar surface much earlier, especially with first ever robotic soft landing of Luna-9 and TV transmission from the surface. Nowadays, while depending on Soyuzes and RD-180 engines, your US-centric bragging looks out rather weird if not plain silly. When your flying coffin exploded in 2003 over Texas and killed crew of 7, Russians saved the ISS solely, by their good will and Soyuzes and Progresses for 2 years. You keep trying to be arrogant in space relations with Russians but they laugh at your weak and desperate attempts. Remember it.

What is your point ?

That I was right and you were wrong.

doesn't affect on international cooperation between Russian Space Agency and say, JAXA.

HA, at the rate Russia is going, do you honestly think anyone other than China is going to want to have anything to do with Russia?

That I was right and you were wrong.

ROTFL. Were you right, Russian Space Agency would stop all international operations onboard the ISS and send Koichi Wakata and his American collegue back on Earth by emergency landing of Soyuz capsule right after US-imposed sanctions. But Russia is not so rotten in international cooperation as Americans have just shown themselves. Russians did not stab their partners in back, figuratively speaking. All international agreements in Space Exploration signed with Russia side, Russian Space Agency continues to perform.

at the rate Russia is going, do you honestly think anyone other, than China is going to want to have anything to do with Russia ?

LOL. What do you mean, speaking of 'at the rate Russia is going'? Could you elaborate? Gay rights, maybe? FYI, 'gay rights' have nothing to do with space exploration. Perhaps, the fact that the USA will not buy NK-33 and RD-180 rocket engines ? Well, doing this Americans will create serious obstacles for themselves. As for 'anyone', check for Starsem joint venture, for instance. Russian cargo version of Soyuz still flies from Courou spaceport and there are no signs that France is going to cease cooperation with Russia. Once again, Russians are entertaining looking at silly attempts of Obama and his cronies to bite Russian economy.

LMFAO and the Russians copied the space shuttle such brilliant engineers they are the freaking piece of crap Buran only flew twice if that! I have been to russian worked on the space station with the backward thinking russians you guys are so stone age you still pump gas from a truck not from a pump at a gas station. Check you went broke trying to keep up in the space race! You can take your rockets its not like the US got a free ride the services was well paid for. What is Russia know for internationally please tell me i havent heard of anything great coming from the country! Let me quess soon you will say the Russian invented the internet and the telephone. Please point out something the russian brilliant engineers developed in the 20th century? HELLO?

kaimycahl: vodka

LMFAO and the Russians copied the space shuttle.

Wrong statement. You should read some technical literature in internet or say, in any library located nearby your village. The concept of reusable spacecraft had been developed years before the maiden flight of the Space Shuttle. The Zenger spaceplane of Junkers Corporation, for instance. Besides, by comparison to Space Shuttle, Buran was a passive payload for HLLV Energia. Russian Shuttle was developed for different flight tasks than the Space Shuttle and was equipped by engines of orbital maneuvers.

the freaking piece of crap Buran only flew twice if that!

Buran performed a single space flight on fully automated mode. By the way, the bird did not explode by comparison to Challenger or Columbia.

russians you guys are so stone age

And 'stone age people' are succesfully running the ISS, right ?

i haven't heard of anything great coming from a country!

Perhaps, you weren't able to hear it. Try to read technical literature or google the internet. Just make a first step for getting knowledge.

soon you will say the Russian invented the internet and the telephone.

The first ever workable electromagnetic telegraph was invented by P.L.Shilling in Russia, in 1832. One of the first ever workable device for transmitting voice by electromagnetic mode via wires was built by Johann Philipp Reis in Germany, in 1860. The World Wide Web was invented by British Tim Berners-Lee in european CERN, in 1989. So, how's going, in ya village ?

You keep trying to be arrogant in space relations with Russians but they laugh at your weak and desperate attempts. Remember it. A friend of mine told me a story once, he's a former navy seal that spied on Russian communications during the cold war, he told me about Russia's attempts to get men into space. He described how countless Russian cosmonauts screamed for help as they burned to death when there craft failed, unfortunately the USSR only announced succesful missions to the public. It really gets on my nerves when someone tries to portray perfection by conveniently leaving out the more gruesome aspects sidekick.

A friend of mine told me a story once, he's a former nvy seal that spied on Russian communications during the cold war, he told me about Russia's attempts to get men into space. He described how countless cosmonauts cried for help as they burned to death when there craft failed

This is nothing but a cheap fairy tail. NAVY SEALs have a different tasks than SIGINT spies of NSA who really can spy upon space communications. Soviet up-link and down-link communications were provided by land-based Control Communication Centers. Ship-based communication centers used to provide communications with probes and satellites. All communications could be intercepted by special sort of spysats deployed in GEO. Land-based CCCs were deployed deeply inside Soviet territory. There were no possible ways for NAVY SEAL "to get there and spy upon Russian communication line". Second. Even now Americans have big problems with learning, speaking and understanding of decent Russian. You wanna say, that your friend of SEAL had a master degree of Russian language "to spy and understand countless screams of help", right? Come on, leave Ethan Hunt and Jason Bourne to science fiction movies. Third. Even Hollywood movies depict some basical principle of physics. When say your spaceship "is failed and burned in atmosphere" there are no ways to communicate to land. Plasma screen around the failed spacecraft jams all possible attemts to communicate with land-based control centers.