Stuck Chinese astronauts make return

Three Chinese astronauts were stuck aboard the Tiangong space station this month when their return craft sustained damage. They eventually made it home on the vehicle that brought up their replacements -- leaving the next trio of astronauts in the same predicament. They are far from alone: Russian and U.S. spacefarers have also been delayed in space in recent years, for months at a time.

Micrometeoroid strikes, technical malfunctions and poor weather have imperiled space travel from the start. But as space logistics become more complex, human-made space debris proliferates and weather becomes less predictable, such incidents are likely to increase, experts said.

The three Chinese astronauts who were set to return Nov. 5 had been in space since April. But the Shenzhou 20 spacecraft meant