U.S. astronaut Leroy Chiao speaks on a satellite phone in Arkalyk airport in northern Kazakhstan April 25, 2005.

　　A Russian, an American and an Italian climbed out of a Russian space capsule early Monday after hurtling home to Earth from the international space station, where a new crew is preparing to welcome the first space shuttle flight after a two-year hiatus.

　　The TMA-5 capsule made a soft upright landing on the steppes of northern Kazakhstan in the early-morning darkness less than 3 1/2 hours after it had undocked from the orbiting outpost. Search-and-rescue helicopters spotted the capsule floating under a parachute toward its designated arrival site about 50 miles north of the Kazakh town of Arkalyk.

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