Posted: Thu, May 22, 2008, 5:53 AM ET (0953 GMT)
Russian officials said Wednesday that the ballistic reentry of a Soyuz spacecraft last month was caused when the spacecraft's equipment module failed to separate cleanly prior to reentry. The Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft and its three-person crew experienced g-forces in excess of 8 G's during the April 19 reentry, the second consecutive Soyuz reentry to follow the more severe ballistic trajectory. Roskosmos officials said that the ballistic reentry took place because the Soyuz's equipment module did not completely separate from the descent module prior to reentry, something that had been suspected prior to Wednesday's announcement Why the module did not separate is still under investigation.

Related Links:

•  AP article
•  RIA Novosti article
•  Moscow Times article