Soyuz Space Capsule Lands Safely In Kazakhstan, 3-Man Crew In Good Shape [VIDEO]

A Soyuz space capsule carrying two Russians and an American landed safely in central Kazakhstan Friday.

The Associated Press reported Anton Shkaplerov, Anatoly Ivanishin and NASA's Daniel Burbank returned to Earth after spending 163 days onboard the International Space Station.

The Russian made capsule deployed a parachute and slowly floated down, touching down on its designated landing spot in the town of Arkalyk.

NASA spokesman Rob Navias said it was one of the most pinpoint and precise landings of a Soyuz returning to a station, reported Reuters. The spokesman called it a bulls eye landing.

The spacecraft landed almost exactly where it was forecast to, he said according to the Associated Press.

The crew left the International Space Station 3 ½ hours earlier. Parachutes deployed 15 minutes before the shuttle touched down. It landed at 7:45 a.m. ET.

The three man team was reintroduced to Earth's strong gravitation pull after leaving for the space station in mid-November.

This has been an amazing experience, said Burbank according to MSNBC.

It has been an honor and a privilege to be a part of that magnificent team, to be a member of this crew and to be commander of ISS Expedition 30, Burbank said.

Medical personnel were on the ground to deal with any issues the crew might have had. AFP reported that Shkaplerov appeared in good shape and none the worse for wear, said a NASA commentator.

The Soyuz space capsule is the only way crews can get to and from the International Space Station after the U.S. shuttle fleet was retired.

The first privately funded cargo shipment, called SpaceX, will be launched on April 30, reaching the space station in early May.

Russia's Oleg Kononenko, NASA's Don Petit, and Holland's Andrew Kuipers will remain at the International Space Station until July.

Three new additions will be added to the crew come May 17 when NASA's Joe Acaba, and Russian astronauts Gennady Padalka and Sergei Revin will leave Kazakhstan for the International Space Station.