Just a little more than a week ago astronaut Kjell Lindgren prepared to take the ride of his life. The experience of returning to Earth inside a Soyuz spacecraft—likened to a fireball—may well be the most exciting thrill ride known to humans. Even before he departed for a year-long mission to the International Space Station, Soyuz reentry veteran Scott Kelly explained the ride thusly: "Even If I had hated the last six months, I would have done it all again for that last 20 minutes in the Soyuz.” This was fresh in Lindgren's mind as he strapped into the Soyuz spacecraft early on December 11.

"Scott had talked about that as well, in conversations we had had," Lindgren told Ars in an interview. "That certainly set an expectation in my mind for it being a lot of fun. We sometimes talk about things being fun, or type II fun, where it’s kind of fun in retrospect, but while you’re going through it, it’s maybe a little more arduous. I wasn't sure what this would be."

The ride begins quietly. Boring, even.

For two hours after closing the hatch between station and spacecraft, the crew in the Soyuz capsule perform leak checks to make sure their suits and spacecraft are secure. Then, a little more than three hours before landing, they undock from the International Space Station and creep away at a rate of about 10 centimeters per second. Soon, it's boring again. Not much happens for two more hours as the Soyuz slowly puts about 19 kilometers (about 12 miles) between itself and the station, while the crew sits crumpled up in an uncomfortable ball position.

Finally, less than an hour before landing, the Soyuz spacecraft fires a four-minute, 21-second de-orbit burn. "As soon as you do the de-orbit burn things start to pick up," Lindgren said. "The onset of G forces is almost imperceptible, but you notice the dust start to settle in the vehicle." Then it's fireball time. "First you see an orange haze out of the window," he explained, "and then big chunks of fiery debris from the spacecraft come streaking by the window. It’s pretty amazing to watch, really."

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Steve Michael

Bill Ingalls/NASA

Bill Ingalls/NASA

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And then gravity hits full-bore. Before going to the space station, Lindgren had trained at Star City outside of Moscow where they have a giant centrifuge. He had been tested up to 9 Gs, so the 4.4 G maximum reached during the Soyuz descent wasn't entirely new. But it certainly felt crazy after nearly half a year in microgravity. Meanwhile, outside the capsule, the windows were blackening with burning spacecraft remnants.

About 15 minutes before landing, with an explosive pyro, the drogue parachute opens with a bang. "You hear this rush of air and then you feel the opening shock," Lindgren said. "You go almost head over heels as the capsule twists around under that drogue chute. That’s an amazing experience, too. Tremendous fun. Twisting and flailing around. Thankfully my vestibular system didn’t add too much more to that. That sensation of rolling around also gives you a huge relief, because it signals the parachute has opened. Then the main chute comes out and things really settle down."

This was definitely Type I fun.

During a normal landing a nearby helicopter will observe the spacecraft's descent as it gradually slows from a rate of several hundred meters per second and call out altitudes as it descends. However, for this landing, it was nighttime in Kazakhstan and the Soyuz entered a cloud layer. As a result, the crew inside had to wait for the thud of landing, uncertain when it might come. "You keep your tongue away from your teeth, and you keep your head resting against the back of the seat, so nothing gets slammed when you hit the ground," Lindgren said.

The Soyuz does not land softly. Two seconds before touchdown, six engines fire to slow the vehicle's descent rate to 1.5 meters per second. There's a concussive effect when the engines fire and a similar thud when the vehicle slams into the ground. After Lindgren's Soyuz hit land in December, its parachutes pulled the vehicle over onto its side. Within 20 minutes Russian special forces arrived to help the crew from the spacecraft.

They were back on Earth. A nighttime chill had settled over the Kazakh steppe, with temperatures at -5 degrees Celsius. But no matter—within less than a day Lindgren had returned to Houston where three children and a wife awaited him. "The timing was perfect," he said. This is my favorite time of year. Getting home when I did, I can really enjoy this Christmas season with my family and friends."