Chris Jones writes:

Jeff Findley writes:

Note that the
Russians have *always* landed on land.

Except for the times they've hit a lake, at least twice, once with a
crew on board. At least that once didn't sink, unlike one of the
unmanned tests. Still, it was winter, and the combination of a
snowstorm restricting helicopter flights, ice making it hard to move the
spacecraft, and cold making for a dangerous night meant that the rescue
team was somewhat surprised to find the cosmonauts still alive when they
finally got the spacecraft to shore and the hatch open.

The Soyuz capsule is qualified for a water landing in an emergency and
training for this is mandantory for the crew. It also carries survival
equipment like hydrosuits with a floatation vest.

Some photos:
http://www.africaninspace.com/home/g...ea/index.shtml
http://suzymchale.com/ruspace/soysurvive.html


Jochem

--
"A designer knows he has arrived at perfection not when there is no
longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away."
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery