WHOOPS

Russian Space Station Commander Runs Over Colleague With Earth Vehicle

Cars—not as easy to drive as spaceships, evidently.

Was he Russian to get there? While driving along a dark road near Moscow late Monday, cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev struck an elderly pedestrian, sending the victim to the hospital with several fractures. Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, announced the collision early Tuesday, with the Associated Press confirming the report hours later. The injured man, hit as he crossed the street, was identified as a 63-year-old project manager at the Star City cosmonaut training center where Artemyev is also employed, according to Roscosmos. Artemyev, 51, was sober when the accident occurred, with the agency stating that he immediately stopped to render first aid and summoned an ambulance soon after. The Russian cosmonaut has been back on Earth for less than three weeks, having touched down on Sept. 29 after making his third journey to the International Space Station. A two-time spaceflight commander, Artemyev assumed command of the ISS from NASA astronaut Thomas Marshburn in May 2022, spending 195 days in space and bringing his total number of days in orbit to 561.