The metal door of the spacecraft, sealed July 3, 2010, has been opened and the six members of the crew - three Russians, a Chinese, a Frenchman, and an Italian - were 'freed'.
The participants of the 520-day experiment were greeted with applause and cheers by their wives, children, relatives and experts of the Russian Institute of Biomedical Problems.
The international experiment was headed by Russia's Alexei Sityov, while Sukhrob Kamolov, another Russian member of the experiment, was the mission's doctor. Diego Urbina, a 27-year-old engineer from Italy, Wang Yue, a 26-year-old Chinese specialist, Romain Charles, 31-year-old French engineer and Russia's Alexander Smolevsky are the other members of the crew.
Published 04 November 2011, 11:30 IST