Lalibert returns safely to Earth

A Russian Soyuz space capsule carrying Canada's first space tourist, Guy Lalibert,has landed safely in Kazakhstan.

The spacecraft holding the 50-year-old founder of Cirque du Soleil, along with American astronaut Michael Barratt and Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, floated under a canopy of parachutes to a safe landing at 12:32 a.m. ET.

Lalibert was extracted fromthe capsulewearing his trademark red clown nose.

Laliberthad paid $35 million US to accompany cosmonaut Maxim Surayev and astronaut Jeffrey Williams fora 12-day space trip. The threeblasted off Sept. 30 for the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazkhstan.

Theyarrived at the space outpost on Oct. 2 for a nine-day stay.

Williams, a three-time space traveller, and Surayev, who is on his first space flight, plan to stay in orbit for 169 days.

Making the trip back with Lalibert were Padalka and Barratt, who had spent six months on the space station.

Lalibert,the seventh private citizen to blast into space,had hoped hisstay aboard the station would help raise awareness of drinking-water problems around the world. To highlightthe crisis, he hosted a two-hour, star-studdedmultimedia event from the station on Friday.