3 Chinese Astronauts Return To Earth

BEIJING (AP) — Three Chinese astronauts have landed in a northern desert after six months working to complete construction of the Tiangong station, a symbol of the country’s ambitious space program. State TV reported Sunday that a capsule carrying commander Chen Dong and astronauts Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe touched down at a landing site in the Gobi Desert in northern China at approximately 8:10 p.m. The three astronauts were part of the Shenzhou-14 mission, which launched in June. The Tiangong is part of official Chinese plans for a permanent human presence in orbit. Last week, a crew of three Chinese astronauts blasted off for Tiangong’s final construction stage. The station’s third and final module docked with the station this month.