Guy Laliberte and Two Other Space Tourists Are Back on Earth

  The Russian Soyuz capsule carrying Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte and two other space travelers landed safely in Kazakhstan on Sunday, ending the entertainment tycoon's mirthful space odyssey.

Photo: Guy Laliberte and Two Other Space Tourists Are Back on Earth

Guy Laliberte and Two Other Space Tourists Are Back on Earth

  Laliberte, who wore a bulbous clown nose during his stay aboard the International Space Station, was extracted from the cramped Soyuz capsule Sunday morning following its landing in the steppes of northern Kazakhstan.

  Laliberte returned with Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka and NASA astronaut Michael Barratt, re-entering the Earth's atmosphere several hours after their capsule left the International Space Station.

  Valery Lyndin, spokesman for Russian mission control, said the capsule drifted by parachute to Earth at 10:32 a.m. local time.

   Laliberte emerged, wearing his red clown nose as he reclined in a chair set up near the Soyuz capsule. Returning astronauts must rest after Soyuz landings in order to reacclimate to the Earth's gravity.

  In another tradition, a Russian Orthodox priest was present for the landing.

  Later, the space travelers were taken to an orange medical tent. Vitaly Davydov, deputy chief of Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, said all three of the space travelers were in good health "and even better spirits," the Interfax news agency reported.

  The three Soyuz crew members were expected to return by air to the cosmonaut training facility at Star City near Moscow shortly after 1:30 p.m. local time  Sunday.

  While in space, Laliberte hosted an Oct. 9 global Web broadcast to promote his One Drop Foundation's crusade to preserve the world's water resources.

  Former U.S. vice president Al Gore, U2 and Shakira were among the entertainers and activists who participated in the broadcast back on Earth, with participants appearing in 14 cities on five continents.

  Laliberte paid US$35 million (euro23.7 million) for his 10-day visit to the orbiting laboratory, becoming Canada's first space tourist.

  The 50-year-old entrepreneur, born in Quebec, worked as an accordionist, stilt-walker and fire-breather before founding Cirque du Soleil in 1984, and is popularly known as the first clown in space.

   Both Padalka and Barratt spent six months aboard the space station. A six-member crew remain aboard.

The Associated Press  contributed to the report.