Detours - Now that a new crew has arrived at the International Space Station, the current residents can begin planning their return home. Since the U.S. space shuttle is not rated for survivable re-entry these days, they will be taking the "extra" Soyuz lifeboat -- basically a digital upgrade to the Yuri Gagarin model. As the Times notes, this required that the departing crew take a "refresher" course in how to pilot the thing for the 3.5 hours flight home. Also, the change in travel plans has required a detour through the former Soviet republics of Central Asia, with attendant complications:

Although American astronauts have flown into space before on Soyuz craft, this will be the first time they have landed in one, and in a foreign country. NASA has arranged for the crew to be met at the landing site by officials carrying entry visas and customs claims documents, as required by Kazakhstan for anyone entering its territory, including those parachuting down in a space capsule.