A Russian space capsule carrying the Sochi Olympic torch and three astronauts has returned to Earth from the International Space Station today in a flawless landing on the steppes of Kazakhstan.

Billionaire software engineer Charles Simonyi, on the verge of blasting off as the world’s fifth paying private space traveller, said today he hopes his journey will help develop civilian space flights.

In one of their last days before leaving the planet aboard a wardrobe-sized space capsule, two Russian cosmonauts and a US billionaire computer programmer enjoyed an array of earthly pleasures today.