Gidzenko

Krikalyov

Shepherd

---

ISS EO-1

31 October 2000 07:53 GMT. Landing Date: 2001-03-21 07:31:00. Flight Time: 140.98 days. Alternate Name: Soyuz TM-31. Other Name: ISS-2R. Flight Up: Soyuz TM-31. Flight Back: STS-102. Call Sign: Uran. Crew: Gidzenko, Krikalyov, Shepherd. Program: ISS. Soyuz TM-31 delivered the Expedition One crew to the International Space Station with Gidzenko as the Soyuz crew commander with the call-sign 'Uran'. The spacecraft docked at Zvezda's rear port at 0921 GMT on November 2. The hatch to Zvezda was opened at 1023 GMT. Once aboard ISS, Shepherd became the ISS Commander, with 'Station Alpha' as the ISS callsign. Soyuz TM-31, with Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalyov aboard, undocked from the -Y port on Zvezda on February 24, 2001 at 1006 GMT and redocked with the -Z port on Zarya at 1037 GMT. This freed the Zvezda port for a Progress resupply ship. After the departure of the Progress, Soyuz TM-31 undocked from the Zarya nadir port April 18 2001 at 1240 GMT and redocked with the Zvezda aft port at 1301 GMT, leaving clearance for the Raffaello MPLM module to be berthed at the Unity nadir during the STS-100 mission. The crew returned to earth aboard shuttle STS-102, which brought the EO-2 replacement crew to the station.

The flight program consisted of the following main activities:

• Activation of the Zvezda Service Module systems
• Equipment installation, Zvezda Module outfitting
• Maintenance of the Station functionality
• Support of Progress M1-4, Progress M-44 dockings and Space Shuttle flights 4A, 5A, 5A.1
• Progress and Space Shuttle unloading
• Support of Progress M1-4 undocking
• Integration of LAB to the ISS and LAB outfitting
• Soyuz TM-31 relocation from the Zvezda SM to FGB (Zarya)
• Implementation of the Research and Experimental Program (Sprut-MBI, Paradont, Kardio-ODNT, Prognoz, Bradoz, Uragan, Identifikatsia, Izgib, Tenzor, Iskazheniye, Priviazka, Plazmenniy Kristall)
• Crew handover to the ISS EO-2 expedition

ISSEO1 Credit- NASA

• 1999 Oct 21 - ISS Status Report: ISS 99-40 

  In orbit on the International Space Station activities continue to go smoothly with the focus being on systems checks and command link verification between the two control centers and the orbiting complex.

  Cycling of the five batteries on the Zarya module continues with no problems seen in the units that store the Sun's energy and convert it to electrical power for the components in both Zarya and Unity.

  Additionally, a test was done using Unity's early communications system to turn on, and then turn off, an air circulation fan inside Zarya to prove the system's effectiveness to operate when commanded through the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System using the Early Communications System.

  A test of the onboard automatic docking system, called Kurs, was performed with no issues. The test included the system's passive avionics and acceleration measurement components.

  While all activities on orbit remain quiet, 12 astronauts and cosmonauts spent this week at the launch site for Russian components at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to view up close the next module to be delivered to space early next year. The Russian Zvezda service module continues in its processing in a checkout hangar near its launch pad.

  The crew members of Expeditions 1 (and its backup crew), 3, and 4 conducted a 'walkdown' of the module which will serve as the living quarters for early crews. The traditional crew equipment interface test (CEIT) is typically done on all flight vehicles to provide an opportunity for the people who will actually live and perform work in it, to familiarize themselves with all aspects of the module.

  Again this week, the International Space Station's motion control system was turned on to accurately measure the vehicle's spin rate and make any adjustments necessary. The slow spin allows controllers to maintain even temperatures on the overall structure and minimizes propellant usage to maintain the complex's orientation.

  The ISS is orbiting at an altitude of 247 by 230 statute miles. Since the launch of Zarya last November, the Station has completed more than 5,240 orbits. S

• 2000 Mar 23 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-12 

  On-orbit activities of the International Space Station continue to focus on electrical power system management as engineers on the ground train their attention on the processing and outfitting of Atlantis for its first visit to space and an orbiting outpost since it returned from the Mir Space Station in 1997.

  ISS EO-1 Credit- www.spacefacts.de

  Atlantis is scheduled to be moved to the launch pad early Saturday in preparation for the STS-101 launch currently set for no earlier than April 17. With processing virtually completed on the orbiter, planners continue to massage the details of hardware on the station that will be changed out to preserve and extend the Zarya module through the end of the year as the ISS awaits the arrival of its next pressurized module - the Zvezda service module.

  Zvezda is scheduled to launch atop a Russian Proton launch vehicle between July 8 and 14. The module is in its final months of processing at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

  The ISS continues to operate without any major systems failures as it circles the Earth every 92 minutes in an orbit of 232 by 221 miles. The station has completed 7,645 orbits since Zarya was launched in November 1998.

  Meanwhile, the first crew to officially turn the International Space Station into a home is scheduled to launch to the outpost in late October following Zvezda's launch and docking in July. Zvezda (the Russian word for 'Star') provides life support, command and control, and the early living quarters for the crew.

  The adjustments to the official near term assembly sequence were agreed to by the International Partners and participants at a recent Space Station Control Board meeting. The United States, Russia, Canada, Japan, the European Space Agency, Italy and Brazil were represented at the meeting.

  The first crew of three includes Commander William Shepherd, Soyuz Commander Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev. They will launch to the ISS from Baikonur atop a Soyuz rocket and dock two days later for a three-to-four-month stay.

  Following is the updated near term assembly sequence through August 2001 with no-earlier-than target launch dates.

  International Space Station Assembly Sequence
  March 2000 Update

  • Date/Flight/Launch Vehicle/Element(s)
  • April 17, 20002/A.2a/Space Shuttle (STS-101) /Spacehab - Maintenance Flt.
  • July 8-14, 2000/1R /Russian Proton /'Zvezda' service module
  • Aug 19, 2000/ 2A.2b/Space Shuttle (STS-106) /Spacehab - Logistics Flight
  • Sept 21, 2000 /3A /Space Shuttle (STS-92) /Integrated Truss Structure (ITS) Z1; Pressurized Mating Adapter-3; Control Moment Gyros (CMGs)
  • Oct 30, 2000/2R/Russian Soyuz /Expedition 1 Crew launch
  • Nov 30, 2000/4A/Space Shuttle (STS-97)/ Integrated Truss Structure (P6); Photovoltaic Module; Radiators
  • Jan 18, 2001/5A/Space Shuttle (STS-98)/ 'Destiny' laboratory module
  • Feb 9, 2001/4R /Russian Soyuz /Docking Compartment
  • Feb 15, 2001/5A.1/Space Shuttle (STS-102)/ 'Leonardo' Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM)
  • Apr 19, 2001/6A /Space Shuttle (STS-100) /'Rafaello' MPLM; Station Remote Manipulator System
  • APR 30, 2001/2S/Russian Soyuz /Soyuz spacecraft swap
  • May 17, 2001/7A/Space Shuttle (STS-104) /Airlock
  • June 21, 2001/7A.1/Space Shuttle (STS-105) /'Donatello' MPLM
  • Aug 23, 2001 /UF-1 /Space Shuttle (STS-109) /First utilization flight

• 2000 Aug 7 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-36 

  The stage is set for another docking to the International Space Station (ISS) Tuesday - this time by a Russian Progress supply vehicle that launched Sunday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Progress is delivering clothing, computers, personal hygiene items, office supplies, food and fuel for the first permanent residents of the Station, the Expedition One crew, which is scheduled to arrive on board in early November.

  Following a series of rendezvous maneuvers, the Progress is scheduled to dock at 3:14 p.m. Central time (12:14 a.m. Moscow time August 9) at the aft end of the newly arrived Zvezda Service Module to wait unpacking by Atlantis' crew during the STS-106 mission early next month.

  Atlantis was transported early this morning from its processing hangar at the Kennedy Space Center to the Vehicle Assembly Building to be mated to its fuel tank and solid rocket boosters. The Shuttle will be hauled to its launch pad late Sunday night, arriving at dawn next Monday for final processing for launch on September 8.

  The Progress M1 cargo ship was launched atop a Soyuz rocket at 1:26:42 p.m. CDT Sunday afternoon and reached a safe orbit nine minutes later. A short time later, all communications antennae and solar arrays had been deployed. Two rendezvous burns later Sunday placed the Progress in a 298 by 270 kilometer orbit. The ISS orbit is 363 by 351 kilometers.

  Another rendezvous burn was successfully conducted today at 2:23 p.m. CDT, with two more planned tomorrow, all designed to place the Progress in close proximity to the Station for Tuesday's automatic docking. All of the Progress' systems are functioning normally.

  The ISS systems are also in excellent shape as the recently expanded Station awaits the arrival of its newest component. With the Progress attached, the ISS will measure 143 feet in length and will weigh 67 tons, almost twice as large as it was in May the last time a Shuttle crew conducted assembly work.

  Progress docking coverage will be broadcast live on NASA Television beginning at 3 p.m. CDT tomorrow. A black and white camera on the Progress should provide views of the ISS during final approach and docking.

• 2000 Sep 27 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-41 

  On its own again following Atlantis' visit, the International Space Station is orbiting the Earth in excellent health and is one step closer to becoming a permanent home to astronauts and cosmonauts.

  After Atlantis departed a little more than a week ago, station flight controllers returned to the routine of cycling the many electricity-generating batteries to maintain their health. Also, controllers have already begun preparing for Discovery's visit to the station scheduled to begin with launch from the Kennedy Space Center a week from now at 8:38 p.m. CDT on Oct. 5.

  With no time to spare in the processing of Discovery, managers okayed the inclusion of additional electronics equipment for the batteries. Those components include two charge-discharge units and one current converter. These items will be stored aboard the station and will serve as extra inventory in the event they are needed.

  Carrying a mass of almost 70 tons now, the ISS is nearly fully outfitted with all the creature comforts required by the first expedition crew scheduled to launch Oct. 30 atop a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Ahead of that, however, Discovery's seven astronauts will deliver 25,000 pounds of external hardware that will be installed using the shuttle's robotic arm with final connections to be completed during four space walks.

  The STS-92 mission, labeled 3A, will carry the Z1 Truss and a second shuttle docking port that will be used for the first time on the next visit of a shuttle in late November. The Z1 will add the capability for the station's position in space to be controlled by gyroscopes rather than propellant, and deliver communications equipment that eventually will allow conversations, data, voice and television to be transmitted through NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite network.

  As with all shuttle visits to the station, controllers soon will begin turning on heaters to begin warming up the Unity module in anticipation of the seven-member crew's arrival. With a launch on Thursday, Atlantis is scheduled to dock with the station at about 3:30 p.m. CDT on Oct. 7.

  Now in an average orbit 236 statute miles (380 km), the 70-ton, 143-foot long International Space Station can easily be seen from the ground under proper lighting conditions.

• 2000 Oct 26 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-42 

  Flight controllers in Houston and Moscow are preparing the International Space Station to come to life next week with the arrival of its first inhabitants, the three-member Expedition 1 crew that is scheduled to launch from Kazakhstan at 1:53 a.m. CST on Tuesday, Oct. 31.

  Before the launch, station flight control rooms in Houston and Moscow on Sunday will conduct a dress rehearsal of the crew's docking with the station, sending all commands to the complex as they will be sent for the actual docking, which is scheduled for 3:20 a.m. CST on Thursday, Nov. 2. For the rehearsal and the actual docking, the station will be commanded to orient itself horizontal to the Earth's surface, perpendicular to its direction of travel, with the Zvezda module pointing southward and the Unity module pointing northward and the newly installed pressurized mating adapter 3 pointing up toward the sun. At present, the station is in an identical orientation except that the Z-1 truss is pointing up toward the sun to maintain proper temperatures on the complex while awaiting the crew's arrival.

  For the next several days, final stores of propellant will be transferred from the Progress cargo craft now docked with the station to fuel tanks on the station's Zarya module. The Progress craft, currently attached to the aft docking port of the Zvezda module, will be commanded to undock from the station on Wednesday, Nov. 1, to clear the way for the crew's arrival. The Soyuz spacecraft carrying Expedition 1 Commander Bill Shepherd, Soyuz Commander Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev will dock at the same aft Zvezda port. After it is undocked, the Progress craft will be commanded to reenter the Earth's atmosphere and will be destroyed during its descent.

  No significant problems have been noted with any systems aboard the station since the Space Shuttle Discovery undocked from the outpost last week. However, early this week, one of three flight control computers in the Zvezda module was automatically taken off line. To back up one another, three flight control computers operate simultaneously aboard the module, performing the same functions. The remaining two computers are on line and operating well. Analysts at the Russian Mission Control Center in Moscow are evaluating the third computer's software to determine if there is any problem with its operation and when it may be commanded back on line. The station can operate on only one computer if necessary. Live coverage of the launch of the Expedition 1 crew will begin on NASA Television at 1 a.m. CST Oct. 31. NASA Television programming can be accessed through GE2, transponder 9C. The frequency is 3880 MHz with an orbital position of 85 degrees West Longitude, with audio at 6.8 MHz. This is a full transponder service and will be operational 24 hours a day. Mission audio may be accessed on GE2, transponder 13 with a frequency of 3960 MHz, vertical polarization.

  Now in an orbit with a high point of 245 statute miles and a low point of 233 statute miles, the 81-ton, 143-foot long International Space Station can easily be seen from the ground under proper lighting conditions.

• 2000 Oct 31 - ISS News 001: Soyuz-TM31 

  Additional Details: ISS News 001: Soyuz-TM31.

• 2000 Oct 31 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-43 

  Following a launch at 1:53 a.m. CST today from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the first residents to live on board the International Space Station are headed toward a Nov. 2 docking with the orbiting outpost, inaugurating a new era in space flight.

  Launched atop the 162-foot tall Soyuz TM rocket, the crew is encapsulated in a Soyuz capsule where they will spend the next two days en route to the ISS.

  Approximately nine minutes after lift-off the Soyuz capsule separated from the launch vehicle sending Soyuz Commander Yuri Gidzenko, Expedition 1 Commander Bill Shepherd and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev on their way to their new home in space. Gidzenko, Shepherd and Krikalev are in the portion of the Soyuz capsule referred to as the "descent module."

  The module contains all the necessary controls and displays to allow the crew to monitor and command all critical flight activities, life support provisions, and the three personally-contoured couches they were strapped into for launch.

  At the time of capsule separation, the Soyuz vehicle was in a 233 x 182 km (144 x 113 sm) orbit. Over the course of the next orbit, the crew will open the hatch to the upper module, sometimes referred to as the Habitation Module, which houses their life support systems.

  In approximately 48 hours, Gidzenko will guide the capsule toward a docking with the ISS as the two vehicles fly overhead the Asian continent.

• 2000 Oct 31 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-44 

  The Expedition 1 crew, secure in its Soyuz spacecraft, continues on course for a rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station, inaugurating a new era in human space flight.

  Following their launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 1:53 a.m. CST today, Soyuz Commander Yuri Gidzenko, Expedition 1 Commander Bill Shepherd and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev successfully deployed docking probes on the Soyuz and checked out the spacecraft's motion control systems. On two consecutive orbits, daily orbits 3 and 4, phasing burns were completed to keep the Soyuz on course for its rendezvous with the International Space Station. A third rendezvous burn is scheduled just before 3 a.m. tomorrow to slightly raise the Soyuz orbit and slow the rate at which it is approaching the space station.

  During communications passes over Russian ground stations this morning, the crew talked with flight controllers, providing updated information on the performance of the Soyuz spacecraft and the crew's activities. During their final communications pass of the day, the trio confirmed a successful test of the external camera that provides cues during rendezvous and docking, and reported all crew members were feeling well. Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalev went to sleep about 9 a.m. CST today and will awaken about 6:30 p.m. CST to begin the second day of what's planned to be a four-month stay in space.

  Flight control teams in Houston have activated life support systems and air purification units on board the space station, readying the outpost for the arrival of its first residents early Thursday morning. In addition, the flight controllers will support tonight's undocking of the Progress resupply vehicle, currently docked to the same port on the Zvezda module of the station to which the Expedition 1 crew will dock Thursday. The Progress will undock at 10:02 p.m. CST today, and shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday will be commanded into a trajectory that will cause it to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.

• 2000 Oct 31 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-45 

  The Expedition 1 crew began its second day in orbit after a 6:30 p.m. CST wakeup by a timing device aboard their Soyuz spacecraft as they continued to close the distance separating them from the International Space Station.

  The crew went to sleep at about 9 a.m. Tuesday, about seven hours after their 1:53 a.m. central time launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. During their third and fourth orbits, the crew completed two phasing burns to adjust the Soyuz's course for its rendezvous with the International Space Station, scheduled for 3:24 a.m. on Thursday.

  One of the first duties for the Expedition 1 crew's second day in space involved taking uplinked data from flight controllers in Moscow for the third rendezvous burn, scheduled for 2:48 a.m. on Wednesday. Soyuz is about half the Earth's circumference behind the ISS, but gaining with each orbit.

  Also on the space station schedule today is undocking of the Progress cargo spacecraft docked to the Zvezda module of the ISS. The Expedition 1 Soyuz will use that docking port when it arrives at the station early Thursday. Flight controllers in Houston worked with Moscow counterparts on uplink of the undocking commands. The Progress, filled with refuse put there by crews of the last two shuttle missions to visit the station, will undock at 10:02 p.m. CST today, and shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday will be commanded into a trajectory that will cause it to burn up in the Earth's atmosphere.

  The crew's communication with flight controllers in Moscow and Houston was limited to passes over Russian ground stations early in Expedition 1's second day in orbit. The first communication of the crew's second day in orbit occurred about an hour and 45 minutes after wakeup.

  In Houston, flight control teams in Houston have activated life support systems and air purification units on board the space station to prepare it for the Expedition 1 crew's arrival for their almost-four-month stay. They also will support the Progress undocking. Systems aboard the Soyuz and the space station remain in good condition.

• 2000 Oct 31 - Soyuz TM-31  Crew: Gidzenko, Krikalyov, Shepherd. Spacecraft: Soyuz TM. Payload: Soyuz TM 11F732 s/n 205. Mass: 7,250 kg (15,980 lb). Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz. Duration: 186.91 days. Perigee: 378 km (234 mi). Apogee: 385 km (239 mi). Inclination: 51.50 deg. Period: 92.18 min.

  Soyuz TM-31 delivered the Expedition One crew to the International Space Station with Gidzenko as the Soyuz crew commander with the call-sign 'Uran'. The spacecraft docked at Zvezda's rear port at 0921 GMT on November 2. The hatch to Zvezda was opened at 1023 GMT. Once aboard ISS, Shepherd became the ISS Commander, with 'Station Alpha' as the ISS callsign. Soyuz TM-31, with Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalyov aboard, undocked from the -Y port on Zvezda on February 24, 2001 at 1006 GMT and redocked with the -Z port on Zarya at 1037 GMT. This freed the Zvezda port for a Progress resupply ship. After the departure of the Progress, Soyuz TM-31 undocked from the Zarya nadir port April 18 2001 at 1240 GMT and redocked with the Zvezda aft port at 1301 GMT, leaving clearance for the Raffaello MPLM module to be berthed at the Unity nadir during the STS-100 mission.

• 2000 Nov 1 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-46 

  The Soyuz spacecraft and the Expedition One crew drew closer to their home in space - the International Space Station - following two rendezvous burns earlier today. Also the Progress supply vehicle was undocked from the station, freeing the aft port on the Zvezda module to which the Soyuz will dock at 3:24 a.m. CST, Thursday.

  The first full day on orbit for the crew, which includes Commander Bill Shepherd, Soyuz Commander Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev, included continued checkout of systems onboard as well as a handheld laser device that will assist in providing accurate distance of the Soyuz to the station.

  The Progress supply vehicle, docked at the station since August, was commanded to undock at 10:02 p.m. CST on Tuesday and performed a deorbit burn two orbits later at 1:05 a.m. It reentered the atmosphere and burned up above the Southern Pacific Ocean between the Fiji and Solomon Islands.

  Shortly after, Gidzenko maneuvered the Soyuz into position for a small 1.3 meter per second orbital correction burn lasting 3 seconds. The second rendezvous burn took place at 7:39 a.m. The resulting altitude from these maneuvers was 170 by 151 statute miles (275 by 243 kilometers). As of this morning, the Soyuz trailed the ISS by about 5,300 statute miles and is closing in at a rate of about 709 miles every orbit of the Earth.

  During an early morning communication pass, Shepherd's wife, Beth, who also is his physical trainer, greeted him and his two Russian colleagues from the Mission Control Center in Korolev. He also received greetings from European Space Agency astronaut Christer Fuglesang on behalf of the U.S. team of flight controllers in Moscow that make up the Houston Support Group.

  The crew turned in for the day at about 9 a.m., and will awaken tonight to begin the rendezvous and docking activities. The automated rendezvous sequence will begin at about 1 a.m. CST Thursday. The first of several rendezvous maneuvers is scheduled for 1:25 a.m. About 2:57 a.m., the Soyuz will perform a flyaround of the station and begin station-keeping about 500 feet at 3:06 a.m. The final approach is set to begin at 3:15 a.m., with docking at 3:24 a.m. CST.

  Flight controllers in Houston continue to prepare the station for the arrival of its first live-aboard crew.

  All systems aboard the Soyuz spacecraft are in excellent shape since its launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan yesterday and the space station remains in good condition.

• 2000 Nov 1 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-47 

  The Expedition 1 crew, Commander Bill Shepherd, Soyuz Commander Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev, awoke at about 6 p.m. CST this evening to complete preparations for the docking with the International Space Station at 3:24 a.m. Thursday CST.

  An automated rendezvous sequence will begin at about 1 a.m. Thursday with the first of several rendezvous maneuvers scheduled for 1:25 a.m. About 2:57 a.m., the Soyuz will perform a partial flyaround of the station and begin station-keeping about 500 feet at 3:06 a.m. The final approach is set to begin at 3:15 a.m. leading up to the docking.

  After docking, the hatch to the International Space Station will be opened at about 4:40 a.m. with Shepherd, Gidzenko, and Krikalev entering their new home in space for the first time. The event will be covered live via audio only but recorded on video. Video playback of the hatch opening will be shown on NASA TV at 6:20 a.m.

  Once inside the station, the new residents will continue efforts of previous shuttle crews and ground controllers to bring the station to life. Their first steps in making the station a home include opening the hatch between the Svezda and Zarya modules, checking out communications systems, activating the food warmer, charging batteries for power tools, starting up water processors, and activating the toilet.

  The Expedition 1 mission and station preparations have continued without interruption as the Soyuz spacecraft chased down the space station since Tuesday morning's launch. Three rendezvous burns were accomplished to bring the Soyuz into range for docking. A Progress supply vehicle was undocked late Tuesday from the station's aft port where the Soyuz will dock, and flight controllers in Houston activated and monitored life support and air purification systems on board the station.

  At 8 p.m. the Expedition 1 crew's Soyuz trails the ISS by a little less than 4,000 statute miles, closing at about 713 miles each 90-minute orbit.

  The Expedition crew will turn in for sleep at 10:45 a.m. Thursday for their first night aboard their new home.

  All systems aboard the Soyuz spacecraft are in excellent shape and the space station remains in good condition.

• 2000 Nov 2 - ISS News 002: Approach and docking Soyuz-TM31 at ISS on 2.11.200 

  Additional Details: ISS News 002: Approach and docking Soyuz-TM31 at ISS on 2.11.200.

• 2000 Nov 2 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-48 

  The first resident crew members to live and work aboard the International Space station arrived at their new home in space earlier today to begin a planned four month stay aboard the orbiting outpost. The crew in its Soyuz capsule -- Expedition Commander Bill Shepherd, Soyuz Commander Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineers Sergei Krikalev -- made contact with the aft docking port to the Zvezda Service Module at 3:21 a.m. CST while the two spacecraft were flying over the central portion of Kazakhstan to complete a smooth, automated linkup.

  A little over one hour later at 4:23 a.m. CST, the hatch leading into the Zvezda's living quarters was opened, signifying the start of human occupancy of the international complex. Gidzenko and Krikalev floated into Zvezda first, at the request of their Commander.

  Once inside the station, the crew members continued the work begun by shuttle crews and ground controllers to bring the station to life. Their first activities included checking out communications systems, activating food warmers, charging batteries for power tools, starting up water processors, and activating the toilet.

  The first live television views of the crew inside the station were seen at 6:24 a.m. CST while the station was within range of Russian ground stations. The crew downlinked video footage of its entry into the station and received congratulatory messages from American and Russian officials at the Mission Control Center in Moscow.

  The station crew members will turn in for an extended sleep period at 10:45 a.m. Thursday for their first night aboard their new home. They will be awakened at 10 p.m. to begin their first full day aboard the space station.

• 2000 Nov 3 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-49 

  The first permanent residents of the International Space Station (ISS) pressed ahead today, installing key life support systems and additional communications equipment in their first full day aboard the orbiting outpost.

  Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev successfully installed the Russian Vozdukh system in the Zvezda living quarters of the ISS today. The Vozdukh system is a regenerative air-scrubbing unit that removes carbon dioxide and essentially vents it overboard from the station. It will take the place of disposable lithium hydroxide canisters initially being used by the crew to absorb carbon dioxide. The Elektron system, a system that uses water to produce oxygen for the crew to breathe, is scheduled to be installed on Monday. It will be activated later. The crew is now using oxygen-generating canisters to replenish the onboard atmosphere.

  Shepherd spent part of the day hooking up cables and laptop computers associated with the Station's Early Communications System, which when activated in the Zvezda living quarters enabled the Expedition crew to have extended conversations with flight controllers through U.S. satellites. The system, which is working well, also lets the crew members send and receive electronic mail files, images and video.

  Krikalev worked through the day to install a central computer in Zvezda which will be used for a large share of commanding Russian module functions in this early phase of ISS assembly. Although he encountered some difficulty with the hookup of electrical cables, the computer was expected to be activated soon.

  Krikalev, who is the first person to visit the ISS twice, joined Gidzenko to try to troubleshoot a problem with one of Zvezda's eight batteries, which has failed to charge properly since it was installed by a visiting Space Shuttle crew in September. Krikalev reported that one of the pins on the connector for one of the battery's electrical components appeared to be bent or broken. Russian flight controllers said they would conduct further analysis of the battery before any additional troubleshooting would be conducted. Zvezda's six operating batteries are producing more than enough power for Station systems.

  The crew plans to work on Saturday and take a day off on Sunday. The normal work schedule for Expedition crews will call for five-day work weeks with weekends free.

  Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalev began their sleep period aboard the ISS at about 2 p.m. Central time and will be awakened at about 10 p.m. tonight. The ISS is orbiting the Earth at an altitude of about 237 statute miles with its systems in good shape.

• 2000 Nov 4 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-50 

  The International Space Station's first crew members continued a busy and productive pace of work today, activating and installing several key pieces of equipment in the Zvezda living quarters as they began to settle in to life aboard the orbiting complex.

  Early today, the crew -- Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev - powered up the Vozdukh system in Zvezda, a regenerative air-scrubbing system that removes carbon dioxide from the cabin and vents it overboard. The system has been confirmed working well by Russian flight controllers at Mission Control, Korolev, and the crew has discontinued use of disposable canisters that had initially been used to remove carbon dioxide.

  The crew also installed the Elektron system, equipment that uses water to replenish the oxygen supply aboard the station. The Elektron system will be tested, but will not be used as the primary system for oxygen generation aboard the station for several weeks, until after the installation of United States-developed solar arrays by the next Shuttle mission to the complex, STS-97 to launch Nov. 30. The crew is now using about one oxygen-generating canister per day to replenish the onboard atmosphere.

  The crew also successfully installed a compressor in the Zvezda air conditioning system for a test of its operation planned to take place tomorrow. The air conditioner provides some cooling in the module and also removes humidity. Even without the air conditioner operating, the average temperature aboard the station is about 75 degrees Fahrenheit and the relative humidity is estimated to be between 40-50 percent. Other equipment that the crew worked with during the day included setting up a Russian laptop computer system that is used, among other things, to track the station's inventory of equipment and supplies. In addition, the crew completed installing a central post computer today, a system that allows laptop computers to be used to monitor the operation of Zvezda systems.

  Flight controllers are monitoring a potential close pass to the station by a piece of space debris being tracked by the U.S. Space Command. The latest predictions show that the debris will pass more than 2 kilometers from the station at about 12:43 a.m. Sunday. The current plan is to not perform any station maneuver to further avoid the debris.

  The crew was scheduled to begin a sleep period at 1:30 p.m. CST and will awaken at 10 p.m. to begin a fourth day aboard the station. Tomorrow is planned to be primarily a day off for the crew. The crew is expected to maintain the same sleep schedule on Sunday. The normal work schedule for Expedition crews will call for five-day work weeks with weekends free. The ISS is orbiting the Earth at an altitude of about 237 statute miles with its systems in good shape.

• 2000 Nov 6 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-51 

  The Expedition One crewmembers installed backup rendezvous equipment and conducted the first exercise on board the International Space Station as they near the end of the first week of their four-month mission.

  Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Soyuz Commander Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev also pressed ahead with additional cable installations for the Elektron oxygen generation system and continued work to set up laptop computers and their computer network system, which will enable them to send e-mail and other files to flight controllers in Moscow and Houston in the weeks ahead. Shepherd indicated that the crew was having some trouble booting up some of the computers on board, as well as locating compatible cables for the various U.S. and Russian computers. Flight controllers are working on solutions to enable the crew to have a complete e-mail capability within the next few days.

  Meanwhile, Gidzenko and Krikalev completed the installation of hand controllers and a television monitor for the TORU system in the Zvezda module. TORU is a manual rendezvous system used by the crew in the event that the automated rendezvous system failed on final approach of an unmanned Progress resupply ship. The equipment was successfully tested in advance of the launch of the next Progress November 16. It is scheduled to dock automatically November 18 to the Earth-pointing docking port of the Zarya module.

  The Elektron system may be activated later this week to generate oxygen for the crewmembers. It was installed and tested over the weekend. In the meantime, they are activating three oxygen-generating canisters each day inside Zvezda, as had been planned preflight. The Elektron's early activation is possible because of the restoration of a seventh battery in Zvezda, which had previously experienced a problem holding the proper voltage. Only one battery in Zvezda remains off-line, and may be restored with spare parts being delivered on next Progress vehicle.

  All three Expedition crewmembers exercised for the first time today, pedaling around the world on a bicycle ergometer in Zvezda. Tuesday the crew will use a treadmill for the first time that was installed by Atlantis' astronauts on the STS-106 mission in September. The treadmill is equipped with special gear to eliminate vibrations from exercise, which would disturb sensitive microgravity experiments underway inside the station's laboratories in the future.

  With the ISS flying smoothly at an altitude of 237 statute miles, the crew began its sleep period early this afternoon and will be awakened at about 10 p.m. Central time tonight.

• 2000 Nov 7 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-52 

  The Expedition One crew today completed the installation of electronics into a key like support system aboard the International Space Station and exercised on a new treadmill system as they completed one week in space since launch Oct. 31.

  Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Soyuz Commander Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev reported the installation of the final cables to the Russian Elektron system, which produces oxygen by breaking down water through the process of electrolysis. The Elektron is expected to be activated on Thursday and become the primary source of oxygen generation onboard. Up to now, per the preflight plan, Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalev have been burning one oxygen producing canister each day per crew member to maintain the proper level of oxygen in the ISS modules.

  Meanwhile, Gidzenko and Krikalev completed the installation of a television monitor for a manual backup rendezvous system in the Zvezda module called TORU. The system would be used to guide an unmanned Progress resupply ship in for docking to the ISS in the event the Progress' automated navigation system failed. The next Progress will be launched to the ISS November 16 with a docking planned two days later. The expedition crew will unload the Progress so it can be jettisoned one day after the launch of the Shuttle Endeavour on the STS-97 mission, providing the proper clearance for Endeavour's linkup to a newly installed docking port on the ISS.

  The crew for that flight - Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Joe Tanner, Marc Garneau and Carlos Noriega - is at the Kennedy Space Center this week to simulate the final hours of the countdown. It is the final trip to Florida before the scheduled launch November 30 on the next ISS assembly flight to install the large U.S. photovoltaic solar arrays on the station. The arrays will make the ISS the most powerful vehicle ever to fly in space.

  Before the crew began its sleep period today, Shepherd reminded flight controllers in Houston that he and his crewmates had completed their first week in space and would hold a "small celebration" to mark the milestone. The trio will be awakened around 10 p.m. beginning another night of work to setup their home in space.

  The ISS continues to operate in excellent shape at an altitude of 237 statute miles.

• 2000 Nov 8 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-53 

  The Expedition One crew today installed the final cables and sensors into the prime oxygen-generation system aboard the International Space Station and continued to set up laptop computers and communications gear as they neared the end of a full week aboard the outpost.

  ISS Commander Bill Shepherd, Soyuz Commander Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev reported that all of the gear associated with the Russian Elektron system has now been hooked up with the activation of the unit planned for Thursday. The Elektron uses the process of electrolysis to produce oxygen for the crew, while venting hydrogen overboard. Up to now, per the preflight plan, Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalev have been burning one oxygen-producing canister each day per crew member to maintain the proper level of oxygen in the ISS modules.

  Krikalev successfully reactivated the ISS air conditioner after it shut itself down due to an excess amount of water in the condensate collection system. The condensate unit absorbs moisture from the air and needs to be emptied periodically. The unit was turned back on after a short outage and is operating normally.

  Russian flight controllers continue to prepare for the next Progress resupply vehicle's launch next week from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Progress is loaded with supplies and spare parts for the crew. Launch is set for the night of November 15, U.S. time, at 7:32 p.m. CST (1:32 GMT November 16). Docking to the Zarya module's nadir port is scheduled for the night of November 17, U.S. time, at 9:07 p.m. CST (3:07 GMT November 18). The Progress will be unloaded by the crew prior to the launch of Endeavour November 30 on the STS-97 mission to deliver the first huge U.S. solar arrays to the ISS.

  The crew for that flight - Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Joe Tanner, Marc Garneau and Carlos Noriega - spent several hours aboard Endeavour today conducting a simulated countdown for their planned liftoff in three weeks.

  Before beginning his sleep period, Shepherd told flight controllers that the ISS was "beginning to feel like home". Tomorrow, the crew will mark the completion of its first week on board the expanding facility.

  The ISS continues to operate in excellent shape at an altitude of 237 statute miles.

• 2000 Nov 9 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-54 

  The Expedition One crew today activated the last of its critical life support systems aboard the International Space Station and looked ahead to the launch of a resupply vehicle next week to the new outpost.

  ISS Commander Bill Shepherd, Soyuz Commander Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev reported that the Elektron oxygen-generation system was turned on late Wednesday night at the start of their workday. The Elektron uses the process of electrolysis to produce oxygen for the crew, while venting hydrogen overboard. Up to now, per the preflight plan, Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalev have been burning solid fuel oxygen-producing canisters to maintain the proper level of oxygen in the ISS modules. The Elektron may be turned off from time to time to conserve electricity on board the ISS if the Station has to be maneuvered into an orientation, which reduces the electrical charge to Station systems through the solar arrays on the Zvezda and Zarya modules.

  Once the large U.S. photovoltaic solar arrays are installed next month on the STS-97 mission, the Elektron can run continuously.

  In addition to the Elektron, other Station life support systems, including a carbon dioxide removal system and an air conditioner are performing normally.

  Russian flight controllers continue to prepare for the launch of the second Progress resupply vehicle next week from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Progress is loaded with supplies and spare parts for the Expedition One crew. Launch is set for November 15 at 7:32 p.m. CST (1:32 GMT November 16). Docking to the Zarya module's nadir port is scheduled for November 17 at 9:07 p.m. CST (3:07 GMT November 18).

  To prepare for the arrival of the Progress, the crew will shift its sleep period about two hours later starting this weekend, typically going to bed at about 3:30 p.m. CST for 8 ½ hours of rest. The crew will be given three days off Saturday, Sunday and Monday to relax following a busy period of activity since launch on October 31.

  Because of an increase in solar flare activity, which is expected to continue for the next 48 hours, the crew was asked to set up a radiation detection monitor in the Zvezda living quarters. The monitor would signal a tone if radiation levels reach higher than expected levels.

  Flight surgeons say the increased potential for higher radiation poses no danger or health risk to the crew, but as a precautionary measure, flight controllers asked Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalev to sleep in the aft portion of Zvezda for the next two nights near the so-called transfer compartment, where there is increased shielding.

  The ISS continues to operate in excellent shape at an altitude of 237 statute miles.

• 2000 Nov 10 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-55 

  The Expedition One crew spent a relatively quiet day today aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as they prepare for the arrival of an unmanned resupply craft late next week.

  ISS Commander Bill Shepherd, Soyuz Commander Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev hooked up cables and other hardware to the Station's Motion Control System which will enable the ISS to automatically reactivate its jet thrusters after the docking of a Progress supply ship or a manned Soyuz vehicle. Normally, those jets are disabled just before a docking to prevent inadvertent jet firings, which could damage the solar arrays on arriving space vehicles.

  The crew also configured data cables for the Zarya module's nadir, or downward facing docking port, to which the next Progress resupply ship will link up next Friday night. Launch of the Progress is set for November 15 at 7:32 p.m. CST (1:32 GMT November 16). Docking to the Zarya's nadir port is scheduled for November 17 at 9:07 p.m. CST (3:07 GMT November 18).

  The Progress will contain about 2 tons of supplies and food for the crew, which will spend the better part of the next two weeks unloading the vehicle.

  In addition, the three crew members spent some time today making headway in their hookup of computers and cables for the onboard laptop computer network.

  The crew will be given three days off Saturday, Sunday and Monday to relax following a busy period of activity since launch on October 31. The only significant activity on tap for Saturday calls for the crew to begin the setup of ham radio equipment in Zarya. ISS crews will use that gear to talk to schools and other ham radio operators throughout the world as they orbit the Earth.

  The ISS continues to operate in excellent shape at an altitude of 237 statute miles.

• 2000 Nov 14 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-56 

  The Expedition One crew continued work today to make the International Space Station a home, and to prepare for the arrival of a Russian cargo ship later this week.

  Commander Bill Shepherd, Soyuz Commander Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev completed a full rehearsal of the upcoming arrival and docking of the Progress resupply vehicle, with all systems checking out perfectly.

  Gidzenko and Krikalev oversaw the test, activating all of the required station systems and simulating procedures they will follow for the actual automated rendezvous and docking. The rehearsal included maneuvering the station to the proper attitude, or orientation, for docking and activation of the TORU manual docking system that will be used should the automated KURS docking system encounter difficulties. Late last week, the crew had configured data cables for the Zarya module's nadir, or downward facing, docking port, where the Progress will be berthed.

  Launch of the Progress is set for at 7:32 p.m. CST Nov. 15 (1:32 GMT Nov. 16). Docking is expected at 9:07 p.m. CST Nov. 17 (3:07 GMT Nov. 18). The Progress will contain about 2 tons of supplies and food for the crew, which will unload the vehicle during the next two weeks.

  In addition, the crew activated and checked out medical equipment and participated in several medical tests, including body mass measurements and hearing assessments. They also exercised on the station's stationary bicycle and treadmill.

  Keeping track of the many pieces of equipment and supplies also was part of the crew's day, as Shepherd conducted a routine equipment inventory and Krikalev worked to update the software on a bar-code inventory tool and management tool. Work on the software update will continue tomorrow.

  The station remains in excellent shape, orbiting at an altitude of 240 statute miles.

• 2000 Nov 15 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-57 

  While the occupants of the International Space Station (ISS) slept, a new resupply vehicle sped to the orbiting outpost, carrying supplies and hardware for the three residents on board.

  Launch of the second Progress spacecraft to the ISS occurred at 7:33 p.m. Central time (1:33 GMT Nov. 16) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. At the time of launch, the ISS was traveling off the West coast of Africa, just West of the nation of Gabon. Within 10 minutes, the Progress had reached its preliminary orbit with its solar arrays and antennas successfully deployed, headed for a linkup to the Station on Friday night at 9:07 p.m. Central time (3:07 GMT Nov. 18). Shortly before docking Friday, the Progress will execute a flyaround of the ISS, aligning itself to the nadir, or downward facing docking port on the Zarya module. The actual linkup will occur within sight of Russian ground stations. The Progress, which contains about 2 tons of clothing, food and spare parts for the crew, complements the Russian Soyuz vehicle, which is docked to the aft port of the Zvezda living quarters. The three crew members will unload the Progress over the next two weeks.

  Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev concentrated today on conducting an inventory of the hardware on board, ensuring that all equipment is well cataloged so that new items arriving on the Russian cargo ship can be properly distributed and accounted for.

  The crew also simulated the operation of the manual docking system in the Zvezda module, called the TORU, which would be used as a backup by Gidzenko to bring the Progress vehicle in for docking in the unlikely event its automated docking system failed. Gidzenko and Krikalev conducted the simulation, which was completed with no problems.

  Krikalev inspected a connector on one of the Zvezda's battery cables, confirming that its connector has a bent pin, which prevented the battery from accepting a normal charge. The component was disconnected after the inspection, allowing the crew manually charge the battery, if required. Seven of Zvezda's eight batteries and charging systems are functioning in excellent shape, providing more than ample power for Station operations.

  The ISS remains in excellent shape, orbiting at an altitude of 240 statute miles as it completes an orbit of the Earth every 90 minutes.

• 2000 Nov 16 - Progress M1-4  Spacecraft: Progress M1. Payload: Progress M1 s/n 253. Mass: 7,250 kg (15,980 lb). Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz. Duration: 84.58 days. Perigee: 357 km (221 mi). Apogee: 369 km (229 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg.

  Progress M1-4 was an unmanned resupply craft that rendezvoused with the International Space Station on November 18. After problems with the automatic system, ISS Expedition 1 crew member Gidzenko took over manual control with the remote TORU system at 0302 GMT. The first docking attempt was aborted when M1-4 was only 5 m from the station at 0309 GMT. On the second attempt docking was successfully achieved at 0348 GMT at Zarya's nadir port. The problem on the first attempt was icing of the TORU system TV camera on the Progress when the spacecraft was in shadow. Progress M1-4 undocked from ISS at 1623 GMT on December 1. Following the mission of STS-97 Progress M1-4 redocked to Zarya's nadir port on December 26 at 1054 GMT. The redocking tested a fix to the software that caused problems in the vehicle's first docking attempt on November 18. Yuri Gidzenko completed the docking manually using the remote control TORU system. Progress M1-4 undocked from Zarya's nadir port for the last time at 1126 GMT on February 8. It was deorbited over the Pacific and reentered at 1350 GMT the same day.

• 2000 Nov 17 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-58 

  An unmanned Russian spacecraft filled with supplies and spare parts was manually docked tonight to the International Space Station (ISS), two days after it was launched from the Asian desert.

  The Progress supply ship linked up to the orbiting outpost at 9:48 p.m. Central time (3:48 GMT Nov. 18), bringing Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev two tons of food, clothing, hardware and holiday gifts from their families. They will spend the next two weeks unloading the capsule, before it is jettisoned to burn up in Earth's atmosphere.

  The second Progress to arrive at the ISS was manually guided in for its docking to the nadir, or downward facing docking port of the Station's Zarya module by Gidzenko after the automatic docking system on the Progress failed to lock on to a comparable system on Zarya.

  Operating from a control panel in the Station's Zvezda living quarters, Gidzenko used a hand controller to slowly bring Progress to its linkup to the Zarya docking mechanism. A short time later, the crew began leak checks at the docking interface between the two craft before opening the hatch to the Progress cargo ship.

  The docking occurred just hours after NASA managers selected November 30th as the launch date for the Shuttle Endeavour on the STS-97 mission to deliver the large U.S. solar arrays to the ISS. Plans call for the Progress to undock from the Station December 1st, clearing the way for Endeavour's arrival at a new docking port attached to the Unity module the following day.

  The Expedition crew aboard the ISS will spend the next few hours deactivating Progress systems before beginning a lengthy sleep period early Saturday. They have no formal work schedule planned this weekend before a busy week next week dominated by the unloading of the Progress and the stowage of its cargo.

  The International Space Station continues to orbit the Earth in excellent shape at an altitude of 240 statute miles, with its resident crew now well into its third week of work on board.

• 2000 Nov 22 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-59 

  Almost three weeks after arriving aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the Expedition One Crew is continuing to activate support systems and unload supplies and equipment from a Progress supply ship that docked to the orbiting facility late last week.

  During communication sessions with Mission Control, Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev reported that they are about 70 percent complete with their work to transfer the nearly two tons of food, clothing, hardware and holiday items from their families that were carried to the ISS. The unloading of the Progress is expected to be completed by Friday, well in advance of the launch of the Shuttle Endeavour next Thursday night on the STS-97 mission to deliver the large U.S. solar arrays to the orbiting outpost.

  The Progress vehicle is expected to be undocked from the Station the day after Endeavour's launch to clear a path for the Shuttle to linkup December 2nd to a new docking port installed on the Unity module last month.

  In the latter portion of their workday, the crew took a few minutes out from their chores to offer a Thanksgiving Day greeting to flight controllers who will be working both in Houston in the International Space Station Flight Control Room at the Johnson Space Center, and at the Russian Mission Control Center in Korolev, outside Moscow. The crew expressed its appreciation for the hard work offered in support of the Expedition One mission, and extended best wishes to all people for a happy holiday season. "When you ride a good rocket ship to orbit," said Shepherd, "you have a lot to be thankful for." Shepherd and his crew mates were launched on October 31st on a Russian Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

  Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalev are scheduled to have a normal workday tomorrow and Friday, before enjoying off-duty time over the weekend. Next week, they will complete preparations for the arrival of Endeavour and the STS-97 crew -- the first of three shuttles that will visit the Expedition One crewmembers during their four-month stay on the Station.

  The International Space Station continues to orbit the Earth in excellent shape at an altitude of 240 statute miles.

• 2000 Nov 30 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-60 

  After celebrating the International Space Station's first holiday on orbit, the Expedition One Crew continued to activate support systems this week and completed the stowage of discarded equipment on an unmanned Progress resupply ship.

  Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev performed routine maintenance activities on the station's humidity removal system, toilet and treadmill and replenished the Station's oxygen supply from tanks on the Progress vehicle. One of four ventilation fans in the Zvezda living quarters was shut down after a blade in the fan system apparently failed. A replacement fan will be installed by the crew with no impact to the environmental conditions on board.

  The crew continued to prepare for the arrival of the first Shuttle crew to visit the inhabited Space Station. Space Shuttle Endeavour is scheduled for launch at 9:06 p.m. Central time Thursday on the STS-97 mission with a five-man crew to deliver the large U.S. solar arrays to the orbiting outpost. All preparations for Endeavour's launch continue without a hitch at the Kennedy Space Center and the weather forecast is favorable for an on-time liftoff.

  About 13 hours after Endeavour's launch, the Progress supply vehicle is scheduled to be undocked from the Zarya module's downward facing, or nadir docking port and will be placed in a parking orbit by Russian flight controllers about 2500 kilometers away from the ISS. Over the next few weeks, U.S. and Russian managers will discuss whether to attempt a redocking of the Progress to the Station in late December or another rendezvous without a docking, to test a software patch as a solution an apparent problem in the Progress' navigation system which occurred during its automated approach to the ISS back on November 17 (U.S. time).

  The Progress is scheduled to depart from the Station on Friday at about 10:20 a.m. Central time, clearing a path for Endeavour's linkup to a new docking port on the ISS on Saturday just before 2 p.m. Central time. The Expedition crew conducted a successful test of the Progress' external black and white camera today in advance of its undocking.

  The ISS continues to orbit the Earth at an altitude of about 230 statute miles in excellent shape.

• 2000 Nov 30 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #01 

  Endeavour's five astronauts blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center on the 101st mission in space shuttle history tonight to deliver the first set of U.S. solar arrays that will significantly increase the power generation capabilities of the International Space Station.

  Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Joe Tanner, Marc Garneau and Carlos Noriega rocketed away from Launch Pad 39-B at 9:06 p.m. Central time, lighting up the central Florida skies as they began their pursuit of the international complex.

  At the time of launch, the three Expedition One crew members aboard the ISS were asleep with the facility passing over the southeast portion of the Indian Ocean, 7,500 nautical miles ahead of Endeavour. They are scheduled to be awakened at 12:06 a.m. on Friday with the main focus of their workday being the undocking of the Progress supply vehicle at 10:20 a.m. CST. The Progress will be placed in a parking orbit some 2500 kilometers from the ISS during the STS-97 mission. Mission managers will be discussing whether or not to redock the Progress to the ISS late in December over the next several weeks.

  Less than nine minutes after liftoff, Endeavour's astronauts went to work to prepare the shuttle's systems for their planned 11-day mission. The first major task on the flight plan was to open Endeavour's cargo bay doors prior to receiving a "go" for orbital operations from Ascent Flight Director Wayne Hale. The astronauts are expected to set up computers and flight deck gear before beginning an eight-hour sleep period at 2:06 a.m. Central time. The crew will be awakened at 10:06 a.m. Friday morning to begin its first full day in space.

  With this evening's successful launch behind them, Endeavour's astronauts will turn their attention to their chase of the International Space Station, performing several firings of the ship's jet thrusters over the next two days to set up a docking with the outpost on Saturday just before 2 p.m. Central time. Over the ensuing week, the crew will perform three space walks as they install the 90-foot high, 240-foot wide solar array structure.

• 2000 Dec 1 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #02 

  Astronauts will fire the Space Shuttle Endeavour's large orbital maneuvering thrusters twice today as they make their way toward the International Space Station, where three fellow space travelers await their Saturday arrival.

  Currently flying approximately 8,000 statute miles (12,875 kilometers) behind and below the ISS, Endeavour's crew will spend much of today preparing for Saturday afternoon's docking with the station.

  Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Joe Tanner, Marc Garneau and Carlos Noriega will begin checking out the systems they will use to deliver the station's first set of U.S. solar arrays. They will check out the Shuttle's robotic arm and space vision system to ensure they are working properly, and inspect the spacesuits and tools that Tanner and Noriega will use over the course of three scheduled space walks.

  Jett and Bloomfield will execute rendezvous burns about 12:41 p.m., and 9:15 p.m. to bring Endeavour into the proper alignment with the ISS and close the gap between the two spacecraft, still half a world away from each other. The first burn went flawlessly a little before 1 a.m. Friday.

  Aboard the space station, Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev continued preparations for the arrival of Endeavour's crew, undocking a Progress supply ship from the Zarya module to make room for Endeavour at a nearby Unity module docking port. The supply ship - now full of refuse and packing materials from the crew's first month on orbit - was undocked at 10:20 a.m. CST and moved to a parking orbit some 2,500 kilometers (1,554 miles) away. Over the next several weeks, Mission managers will be discussing whether or not to redock the Progress to the ISS late in December.

  Endeavour's docking with the station remains on schedule for 2 p.m. CST Saturday. After Garneau and Bloomfield use the Shuttle's robot arm to attach the new solar arrays to the connecting framework delivered on STS-92, Noriega and Tanner will conduct three space walks making connections and helping activate the new sun-tracking, power generating panels of the 90-foot tall, 240-foot wide solar array structure.

  The crew's first full day in orbit began with a wake-up call from Mission Control at 10:06 a.m. Friday to the sounds of "Stardust" by Willie Nelson, played for Canadian Space Agency astronaut Garneau.

• 2000 Dec 1 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #03 

  Endeavour's astronauts spent much of Friday checking out equipment to be used for Saturday's docking with the International Space Station, subsequent assembly operations and three space walks. For much of the crew's day, their spacecraft was gaining on the space station at about 500 statute miles each 90-minute orbit of the Earth.

  Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Joe Tanner, Marc Garneau and Carlos Noriega checked out systems they will use to deliver the station's first set of U.S. solar arrays. They tested the power supply to the huge solar array structure. Tanner and Noriega also checked the spacesuits they will use during three space walks, on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.

  Garneau and Bloomfield tested the shuttle's robotic arm, performing a survey of the payload bay using cameras attached to the arm, and checked out the Space Vision System, a computerized visual system that helps the arm operator determine distance and relative orientation of space station elements during assembly activities.

  Jett and Bloomfield fired Endeavour's orbital maneuvering systems twice Friday, at about 12:41 p.m. and 9:24 p.m., to bring the orbiter into the proper alignment with the space station and close the gap between the two spacecraft. Endeavour is about 2,515 miles from the space station and now closing at a rate of almost 400 miles every orbit.

  No problems were reported aboard Endeavour as the shuttle sails toward a docking with the ISS at 1:59 p.m. Central time Saturday.

  On the International Space Station, Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev, continued preparations for the arrival of Endeavour. Their unmanned Progress resupply vessel was undocked at 10:23 a.m. Central time Friday to clear a path for Endeavour's arrival. The Progress will be left in a parking orbit well away from the ISS during Endeavour's visit, allowing flight controllers in Moscow and Houston the option of redocking it to the station after Endeavour departs.

  The Expedition One crew went to bed about 3:30 p.m. and will be awakened at midnight to continue preparations to welcome the Endeavour astronauts. The space station crew's wake-up call comes at the same time Endeavour's crew begins an abbreviated seven-hour sleep period. Endeavour's astronauts will awaken shortly after 7 a.m. Central time Saturday to begin their rendezvous procedures.

• 2000 Dec 2 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #04 

  Docking day for the crew of Endeavour began at 7:06 a.m. CST with the Shuttle about 700 miles away from the first linkup of a Shuttle and an inhabited International Space Station. The crew was awakened to the song, "I Believe I Can Fly," by R. Kelly.

  Commander Brent Jett and Pilot Mike Bloomfield will begin the final stage of rendezvous activities about 8:30 a.m., when they start setting up the aft flight deck controls. Endeavour will approach the station from below to line up with the Earth-facing docking port of the Unity module and avoid disturbing the station and its solar arrays with thruster jet debris. A maneuvering jet firing is scheduled for 10 a.m., with the Shuttle's rendezvous radar system beginning to provide supplemental navigation information about 10:50 a.m. The final burn, called the terminal initiation or Ti burn, will occur at 11:33 a.m.

  On the International Space Station, Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev, will monitor Endeavour's approach and docking, communicating with the shuttle using air-to-air radio signals.

  When Endeavour is about 2,000 feet away, almost directly below and behind the International Space Station, Jett will take manual control of the approach, and with the help of crew members operating computer tracking programs and hand-held laser distance measuring devices, guide the Shuttle to a point about 500 feet below the station. At this point, he will rotate Endeavour 180 degrees into a "tail forward" attitude for the final approach and docking. Jett will pause Endeavour's approach at a distance of 30 feet before moving in for docking just before 2 p.m. CST.

  Solar arrays on the Zarya and Zvezda modules will be repositioned by flight controllers in Moscow to minimize structural loads as the two spacecraft come together at the newly installed Unity docking port called Pressurized Mating Adapter-3. Both the station and Endeavour will turn off their attitude control systems and drift freely as the Shuttle docking system pulls the two space vehicles together and forms a rigid bond, or "hard dock." Then, the solar arrays will begin tracking the sun again and Endeavour's steering jets will take over attitude control of the station.

  About 3 p.m. today, Mission Specialist Marc Garneau will use the Shuttle's robot arm to lift the P-6 solar array out of its payload bay moorings and park it above the bay so that its temperature can begin equalizing with that of the station. Meanwhile, Mission Specialists Joe Tanner and Carlos Noriega will open the hatches and enter the Unity module's docking vestibule, where they will install electrical grounding straps and leave supplies for the station crew to retrieve later.

  The Expedition 1 crew will go to bed about 3:30 p.m., and the Endeavour crew will follow suit at 11:36 p.m.

• 2000 Dec 2 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #05 

  Endeavour's astronauts executed a flawless docking to the inhabited International Space Station at 2 p.m. Saturday and took the first step in providing additional power to the orbiting complex in preparation for the first of three planned space walks Sunday.

  With Expedition One crew members Bill Shepherd, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev looking on, Commander Brent Jett guided the shuttle to a smooth linkup with the ISS as the two craft sailed 230 statute miles above northeast Kazakhstan. Endeavour is attached to a new station docking port installed last month by the STS-92 astronauts.

  The ISS residents went to sleep a short time after docking, to be awakened just after midnight for their 32nd day aboard the station. The station and shuttle crews are maintaining separate sleep cycles to match the work they need to accomplish during their week of joint activities.

  A little over two hours after docking, Canadian Space Agency astronaut Marc Garneau maneuvered Endeavour's Canadian-built robot arm and grappled the 45-foot-long, 17 ½ ton P6 solar array truss structure at 4:17 p.m., lifting it out of its berthing latches in the shuttle's cargo bay a few minutes later. Garneau tilted the truss structure 30-degrees to the cargo bay, where it will remain overnight attached to the arm to properly warm its components. The P6 will be mated to the Z1 external truss atop the Unity module Sunday by Garneau with the assistance of space walkers Joe Tanner and Carlos Noriega during their 6½-hour excursion outside Endeavour.

  After leak checks were completed between the two vehicles, and with Pilot Mike Bloomfield looking on, Tanner and Noriega made their way through Endeavour's docking tunnel and opened the hatch to the ISS docking port to leave supplies and computer hardware on the doorstep of the station. The hatch refused to open at first because of a slight pressure differential between Endeavour and the ISS, but Tanner used a little muscle to finally push it free. Shepherd and his crewmates are scheduled to enter the Unity module for the first time Sunday morning and will open their hatch to the docking adapter to retrieve the items left behind by their shuttle counterparts. The two crews will not greet each other face-to-face until Friday morning when the hatches are open between the two spacecraft following completion of the space walks.

  Once the P6 is mated to the Z1 truss, the solar arrays tower will be commanded to unfurl, increasing the power supply to the ISS by five times its current output. The space walk by Tanner and Noriega is scheduled to begin at about 12:30 p.m. Sunday, but could start as much as 45 minutes earlier if they complete preparations ahead of schedule.

  Endeavour's astronauts were set to begin an eight-hour sleep period at about 11:30 tonight and will be awakened at 7:36 a.m. Sunday.

  The Endeavour-ISS complex is orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 235 statute miles with all systems operating in excellent fashion.

• 2000 Dec 3 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #06 

  "It's kind of like Christmas up here going through these bags." With that comment, International Space Station Expedition 1 Commander Bill Shepherd indicated his happiness about the equipment, supplies and care packages today that were dropped by Endeavour's astronauts following Saturday's shuttle docking with the station.

  Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev entered the Unity module for the first time since their arrival aboard the station 33 days ago at 3:38 a.m. CST Sunday, and retrieved items that were left in the docking compartment by Endeavour's crew after their 2 p.m. Saturday docking. The items included a new laptop computer and headsets for the station's two-way videoteleconferencing system, a new hard drive for a Russian laptop, large bags full of water, packaged Russian and fresh American food items -- plus a special care package.

  Shepherd voiced special pleasure at receiving some fresh coffee and a large pair of vice grip pliers. He announced that the Expedition 1 crew would be taking a coffee break as soon as it completed the transfer of the items into the Russian living quarters and resealing the hatch into the Unity module, and added that the new pliers should come in handy for assembly and maintenance work.

  Although the Expedition 1 crew came within one hatch of its colleagues - Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Marc Garneau, Carlos Noriega and Joe Tanner -- the two crews will not greet each other face-to-face until Friday morning following completion of three planned space walks to install and activate the new 17-ton solar array tower.

  The first space walk by Tanner and Noriega is scheduled to begin about 12:30 p.m. Sunday, but could start 45 minutes earlier if they complete preparations ahead of schedule. Using the shuttle's robot arm, Garneau is scheduled to move the new solar array into position above the Z1 truss structure of the Unity module about 10:21 a.m. CST, and drive it home to its installation point about 1:06 p.m. Tanner and Noriega will secure bolts on each of the four corners of the array assembly before Garneau releases the arm's grip. Bloomfield will take over arm operations and maneuver Noriega around the array so he can connect nine power, command and data cables. At the same time, Tanner will release the two Solar Array Blanket Boxes, and then he and Noriega will release the two Solar Array Wing launch restraints. The two space walkers will put the blanket boxes into the ready to deploy position, and free the folding mast before cleaning up and moving back into the shuttle about 7:16 p.m. CST. Jett will send the command to deploy the ISS Solar Arrays at 5:11 p.m. CST. The Solar Array Photovoltaic Radiator is scheduled for its deployment a little over 3 hours later at 8:36 p.m.

  With the International Space Station complex orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 235 statute miles in fine fashion, the Endeavour crew received a wake-up call at 7:36 a.m. CST. The Expedition 1 crew goes to bed at 3:36 p.m.

• 2000 Dec 3 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #07 

  The International Space Station spread one of its wings Sunday night as the first half of the P6 solar array was unfurled after Endeavour astronauts installed the 17.5-ton P6 solar array structure.

  The structure housing the arrays and associated electronics was mated to the station's Z1 truss structure at 1:32 p.m. - about an hour into the first of three planned space walks during the mission by Joe Tanner and Carlos Noriega. The space walk began at 12:35 p.m. Sunday and ended at 8:08 p.m., lasting 7 hours, 33 minutes. Thus far, astronauts and cosmonauts have spent 77 hours, 7 minutes on 11 space walks for space station assembly.

  Using the shuttle's robot arm, Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau moved the P6 solar array structure into position above the Z1 truss structure of the Unity module and drove it home to its installation point about 1:32 p.m. Tanner and Noriega secured bolts on each of the four corners of the array assembly before Garneau released it from the arm.

  Pilot Mike Bloomfield took over arm operations and moved Noriega around the array as he connected nine power, command and data cables. At the same time, Tanner released the two solar array blanket boxes. They put the blanket boxes into the ready to deploy position. But computer commands to release the pins holding the blanket boxes closed initially were not successful. Tanner and Noriega stood by in case they were needed to release the pins manually.

  Soon afterward, the commands were repeated, the pins on the starboard blanket boxes released and that solar wing was deployed. However, one pin on the portside blanket box remained in the closed position. After the space walk, Commander Brent Jett again sent computer commands for the blanket box pins to close and then reopen, and this time, a little after 8:20 p.m., indicators showed all the pins had disengaged. Flight controllers will not deploy the port wing tonight to allow time to understand whether the solar wing that has deployed is properly tensioned. That wing was functioning well and sending electrical power to the P6 structure's systems.

  There is no rush to deploy the port wing and flight controllers want to fully understand the situation with the starboard wing before they attempt to do so.

  "We did accomplish our No. 1 mission objective, which was to deliver P6 to the International Space Station," said Bill Reeves, lead shuttle flight director. And "We accomplished all the EVA objectives." One of three Photovoltaic Radiator was deployed at 10:20 Sunday night before the crew began its planned sleep period at about 11:30. The radiator will dissipate heat generated by on-board electronics.

  Endeavour and the space station are orbiting at an altitude of about 235 statute miles with systems aboard both spacecraft functioning well. The Endeavour crew will have a day off Monday, while the space station crew will be awakened about midnight to begin its workday. Hatches allowing the two crews to meet face to face will not be opened until Friday, the day after the last scheduled space walk of the STS-97 mission.

• 2000 Dec 4 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #08 

  Following a busy weekend that saw the crew of Endeavour dock with the International Space Station and install the new U.S. solar array structure during a 7 ½ hour space walk, the STS-97 astronauts have light duty on their schedule today before continuing activation of the new station power generation system.

  Endeavour's astronauts and flight controllers on the ground are working towards deployment of the second solar panel on the newly installed U.S. solar array structure later today. The current plan calls for the second array to be extended starting about 3:51 p.m. CST.

  Today's deployment sequence will be a modified version from the one used yesterday. The port array will be deployed this afternoon using a multi-step process. The movement of the array will be stopped several times during deployment to allow motion in the solar blankets to dampen out before continuing with the extension. Sunday's deployment of the starboard array was done in one continuous motion, lasting about 13 minutes while today's stop and start procedure is expected to take at least one hour to complete.

  Flight controllers are also looking at any procedures that may be undertaken to increase the tension in the already deployed array. Imagery taken of the starboard solar pannel shows a little bit of slack in some of the support wires. The array itself is working well and generating power to the array's batteries. The main concern with the tension level on the deployed array is making sure that it is stable enough to support dynamic activities such as Shuttle dockings and undockings as well as when the station is maneuvered to a new attitude position on-orbit.

  Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Joe Tanner, Carlos Noriega and Marc Garneau of the Canadian Space Agency, were awakened just after 8:30 a.m. today to begin their day. This morning's wake up song was "Lovin' You Lots & Lots" from the movie "That Thing You Do" and was sent up to Bloomfield from his wife.

  In addition to monitoring the second array deployment, the crew's activities today will include some housekeeping chores and monitoring orbiter systems along with a photo survey of the solar array structure using cameras on the Shuttle's mechanical arm.

  The STS-97 crew will take a few minutes this afternoon to talk with reporters from the Cable News Network, CBS News and ABC News about how their mission has been progressing. The trio of interviews is scheduled to begin at 2:31 p.m. CST.

  The Endeavour crew will begin a planned 8-hour sleep period at 11:06 p.m. before they are awakened at 7:06 a.m. CST Tuesday to begin preparations for the second of three planned space walks outside the International Space Station. The main objective of the second space walk will be to install data and power cables to allow the space station to utilize electricity generated by the new solar arrays.

• 2000 Dec 4 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #09 

  Endeavour astronauts deployed the second of two huge solar wings on the International Space Station Monday in a slow and deliberate, almost two-hour-plus process that began at 6:52 p.m. The other solar wing, the starboard wing, was deployed nonstop Sunday in about 13 minutes.

  Deployment of the port wing was delayed while ground controllers studied an apparent slackness in one of two blankets that make up the starboard structure. They believe that two tensioning cables had jumped off their guides during deployment. Despite that anomaly, the starboard array is functioning well and producing electricity. The slackness should have no effect on its ability to produce power for the space station.

  Deployment of the second solar wing brings to 240 feet the span of the station's solar arrays. This array is 38 feet across and can produce as much as 60 kilowatts. It has a 15-year designed lifetime. It is the first of four such arrays that eventually will supply power to the station, enabling it to conduct basic and applied research in its microgravity environment.

  The deployment was scheduled to begin with Endeavour and the space station in daylight and with television available so that array experts could watch the deployment from Mission Control. The port wing began to move from the two boxes that housed its two solar blankets and the mast canister between them that housed the lattice structure that pushed their ends outward, after a computer command by Endeavour commander Brent Jett. The deployment was slow, with stops and starts. It was completed, after two rows of solar panels stuck together were shaken lose by slightly retracting, then extending the arrays again, at 8:46 p.m.

  Jett and the other four astronauts aboard, pilot Mike Bloomfield and mission specialists Joe Tanner, Carlos Noriega and Canadian Marc Garneau, had a relatively quiet day Monday. They conducted an extensive camera survey of the starboard array before deployment of its twin began. They also did housekeeping chores and monitored Endeavour systems before their scheduled sleep period beginning about 11 p.m.

  Aboard the space station, the Expedition One crew, commander Bill Shepherd and cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev, continued their work to outfit the ISS. After a wakeup tone at midnight - about the time the Endeavour crew went to bed -- the station crew installed a dust collector fan, collected condensate water samples, replaced a microprocessor and made observations of Patagonian glaciers. They will meet face-to-face with Endeavour crewmembers on Friday, after all three spacewalks by Tanner and Noriega have been completed.

  The second of those spacewalks is scheduled for Tuesday. Its main purpose is to install data and power cables to allow the space station to use electricity generated by the new solar arrays.

• 2000 Dec 5 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #10 

  Space walk number two is at the top of the agenda for Endeavour's astronauts today as they continue work to install, connect and activate the International Space Station's new solar arrays.

  Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Carlos Noriega, Joe Tanner and Marc Garneau were awakened at 7:06 a.m. CST Tuesday. The crew started its day with the University of Southern California's fight song, "Fight On," played for graduate Noriega.

  Tanner and Noriega are scheduled to begin their six-hour space walk at 11:56 a.m. CST, or a little earlier if they are ready. The main objective is to reconfigure electrical connections so that power from the newly installed P6 solar arrays can flow to the U.S. elements of the station.

  After the second set of solar array blankets was successfully deployed Monday, all of the new power-generating unit's batteries - six on each side for a total of 12 - have been fully charged and are ready to send electricity to the Unity module.

  Noriega will work on the port side of the truss structure, moving cables from one connector to another to transfer power, and then removing a thermal shroud from a power conditioner. Tanner will remove a similar shroud from a signal processor and prepare to relocate the S-Band Antenna Subassembly from the Z1 truss, where it was temporarily stowed by the STS-92 crew in October.

  The space walkers will be looking down on the space station from high above when they move the dish-shaped, high-data-rate antenna. Inside the shuttle, Bloomfield will maneuver the robot arm as far as it will reach up the truss structure, then Tanner and Noriega will alternate possession in a series of "leap frog" exchanges until the antenna assembly is installed on the Integrated Equipment Assembly. While there, they will take care of an added task - "eye-balling" the take-up reels on the starboard solar array's tension cables. During Sunday's deployment, the cables apparently slipped off the reels. Engineers on the ground are considering whether to attempt to tighten the cables manually on the third planned space walk Thursday.

  Inside the station, Expedition 1 Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev will enter the Unity module for the second time and in their 35 days aboard the station and reconfigure power cables there to accept the newfound source of electricity. They are expected to be inside Unity for about an hour.

  The remaining EVA tasks are designed to pave the way for the arrival of the U.S. Laboratory Destiny early next year. Tanner and Noriega will remove umbilicals from Pressurized Mating Adapter-2, connecting them to a dummy panel on that docking port and preparing it for relocation to the end of the Destiny module, which will be connected to Unity on the STS-98/5A mission.

• 2000 Dec 5 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #11 

  Endeavour astronauts completed the second of the STS-97 mission's three space walks Tuesday, hooking up power and data cables and connecting ammonia coolant lines between the International Space Station's new solar array truss and the rest of the ISS. They also prepared a docking port for a January move to another area on the space station to get ready for arrival of the U.S. laboratory Destiny.

  Carlos Noriega and Joe Tanner began their space walk at 11:21 a.m. Before moving on to the cable connections, they surveyed the starboard solar wing to better understand the condition of the tensioning system that extends one of its two solar array blankets. Engineers, flight controllers and managers continue to develop possible plans for Noriega and Tanner to further tension that blanket on the third space walk, scheduled for Thursday.

  During their 6 hour, 37 minute space walk, Noriega and Tanner moved the S-band antenna assembly to the top of the solar array tower. They also released restraints holding a radiator to the tower's side. It is designed to help cool Destiny. That radiator was deployed after the space walk.

  Destiny is scheduled to be launched to the space station Jan. 18. The docking port, Pressurized Mating Adapter 2, will be moved temporarily from its spot at the forward end of the Unity module, where the laboratory will be attached. The docking port then will be placed on the forward end of Destiny.

  Endeavour Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialist Mark Garneau supported the space walk. Inside the space station, the Expedition One crew, Commander Bill Shepherd and cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev, went into Unity for the second time in their 35 days aboard the station. There they reconfigured cables to route electricity from the new solar arrays to the rest of the space station.

  The work kept the station crew members up past their scheduled 3:36 p.m. bedtime. Endeavour's crew was scheduled to begin its sleep period about 10:30 p.m., and are scheduled to be awakened at 6:36 a.m. on Wednesday.

  The second space walk brings this crew's total to 14 hours and 10 minutes outside the space station, and total space walk time outside the station for all flights to 83 hours and 44 minutes.

• 2000 Dec 6 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #12 

  Endeavour's astronauts today will prepare for a third planned space walk, getting their tools ready and preparing the Floating Potential Probe for installation on the exterior of the International Space Station to measure the electrical potential of plasma around the station.

  Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Marc Garneau, Joe Tanner and Carlos Noriega were roused at 6:36 a.m. by a Puccini opera aria, " O Mio Babbino Caro," intended especially for Garneau.

  Soon after this morning's wake-up call, Noriega and Tanner received word they will have an additional task on their Thursday space walk. Station and shuttle engineers and managers sent up plans for adjusting the tension levels of the solar blankets on the starboard solar array. The plan calls for the shuttle crew to retract the array's mast two to three feet to generate some slack in the tension cables. Noriega will pull the slack through each spring-loaded take-up reel, then Tanner will manually "wind" the tension reels. When each has reached its limit, Tanner will let it unwind by spring force while Noriega guides the cable on to the reel grooves. The outboard reel will be first, followed by the inboard reel.

  The new solar arrays and electrical system continue to work well, generating power that has now been routed all the way to the Russian space station modules. Tuesday's space walk and associated internal work by Expedition 1 Commander Bill Shepherd, Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko enabled all of the interfaces needed to send power to the Zarya and Zvezda modules. By about 9 a.m. CST today, flight controllers had configured the American-to-Russian Converter Units so that an additional 3 kilowatts of electricity is available to the Russian modules. This brought the total power available to Zvezda up to about 6 to 7 kilowatts; once enabled, the Zarya module will have up to 5.5 to 7 kilowatts available.

  Wednesday, Shepherd went back inside the Unity module about 4:30 a.m. CST to install electrical outlets inside Unity and separate the power feeds going to the early communication and S-band communication systems, providing additional redundancy.

  Although Shepherd was scheduled to leave the hatch between the Russian elements and the Unity module open today, it may be closed about 10:30 a.m. to manage rising humidity levels caused by a failure in Zvezda's air conditioning system. Krikalev and Gidzenko are working a maintenance and repair procedure on both the air conditioning system and Vozdukh carbon dioxide removal system.

• 2000 Dec 6 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #13 

  Endeavour's astronauts worked Wednesday to get ready for the Thursday space walk by Mission Specialists Joe Tanner and Carlos Noriega. They also took a few hours off to rest and enjoy the view from their spacecraft, moving at five miles a second about 235 miles above the Earth.

  Space walk preparations focused on techniques to tighten one of two solar blankets on the starboard wing. They got the word that task had been added to the space walk schedule shortly after they were awakened about 6:30 a.m. They reviewed the procedures during a conference with flight controllers later in the day.

  Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Marc Garneau will support Tanner and Noriega from the Endeavor's crew compartment, retracting by two or three feet the mast extending the two blankets of the starboard wing.

  Once the mast is shortened, Noriega will pull the slack in the tensioning cables through each spring-loaded take-up reel. Tanner will manually "wind" the spring-loaded tension reels. When each has reached its limit, Tanner will let it unwind by spring force while Noriega guides the cable on to the reel grooves. The outboard reel will be done first, followed by the inboard reel. The cables apparently came out of the grooves when the wing was extended on Sunday. Both wings of the 240-foot-long, 38-foot-wide array continue to function well, producing power to the space station.

  After the solar wing repair, Tanner and Noriega will install the Floating Potential Probe atop the P6 structure. It measures the electrical potential of plasma around the station.

  Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd and cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko had a busy day aboard the space station. They installed a new air conditioning unit brought up by the Progress supply vessel which docked with the station Nov. 17 to replace one that had failed earlier in the week. The new unit is functioning well. The crew also replaced a malfunctioning fan in the Vozdukh carbon dioxide removal unit, bringing that life-support unit back on line.

  Shepherd went back inside the Unity module about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday to install electrical outlets and air ducts and separate the power feeds going to the early communication and S-band communication systems, providing additional redundancy.

  Endeavour's crew was scheduled to go to bed a little after 10 p.m., about two hours before the space station crew was to be awakened at 12:06 a.m. Thursday. The wake-up call for the STS-97 crew will sound at 6:06 a.m.

• 2000 Dec 7 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #14 

  Two of Endeavour's astronauts will return to their jobs as orbiting construction workers today, installing probes that will measure electrical potential surrounding the station and performing some added "warranty work" on solar array blankets that didn't stretch out completely on Sunday.

  After carefully going through the plan with Mission Control on Wednesday and receiving descriptions and videotapes of fellow Astronaut David Wolf performing the additional task on the ground, Commander Brent Jett and his crew voiced optimism they could accomplish the new task.

  Mission Specialists Joe Tanner and Carlos Noriega will float out the shuttle's hatch at 10:51 a.m. CST and move up to the top of the new solar array truss structure. Jett, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialist Marc Garneau will retract the mast extending the two blankets of the starboard solar array wing approximately two or three feet. Once the mast is shortened, Noriega will pull the slack in the tensioning cables through each take-up reel. Tanner will manually turn the spring-loaded tension reel until it reaches its limit and then will let the reel unwind by spring force while Noriega guides the cable onto the reel grooves. The outboard reel will be done first, followed by the inboard reel.

  The 240-foot-long, 38-foot-wide solar array continues to function well, sending power to the International Space Station. The starboard array's cables apparently came out of the reel grooves when the wing was extended on Sunday. The port solar array wings were deployed to their full tension Monday using a modified deployment technique.

  After the solar wing repair, Tanner and Noriega will install the Floating Potential Probe atop the P6 structure. The probe will measure the electrical potential of plasma around the station. Plasma Contactor Units already are at work on the solar array truss, emitting electrons that complete an electrical circuit and avoid the potential for arcing.

  Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd and cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko awoke just after midnight CST and continued packing up items that will be returned to Earth aboard Endeavour. They also set up, but did not activate, a wireless instrumentation system that will attempt to measure and further model the structural integrity of the station as shuttle steering jets fire.

  Humidity levels are coming down in the station after Wednesday's successful installation by the crew of a new air conditioning unit. The crew also replaced a malfunctioning fan in the Vozdukh carbon dioxide removal unit, bringing that life-support unit back on line. The hatch between the Zarya and Unity modules remains open indefinitely. The two crews are scheduled to meet inside Unity about 8:30 a.m. Friday.

  Endeavour's crew was awakened at 6:06 a.m. CST to the sounds of the Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun," sent up for Joe Tanner. The station crew is scheduled to go to bed at 3:36 p.m. CST, and the shuttle crew will begin its sleep shift at 10:06 p.m.

• 2000 Dec 7 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #15 

  Space walking Endeavour astronauts sailed through an add-on job to tension a solar blanket Thursday, then completed their other tasks in textbook fashion. They topped off their scheduled activities with an image of an evergreen tree placed atop the P6 solar array structure, the highest point in their construction project.

  "We had a great day," Glenda Laws, lead EVA officer, said at an evening briefing.

  Space walkers Joe Tanner and Carlos Noriega also installed a centerline camera cable outside the Unity module. It will transmit television images to help a shuttle crew attach the U.S. laboratory Destiny next month. The last of their scheduled tasks was installation of the Floating Potential Probe. The FPP, atop the P6, measures the electrical potential of plasma around the station. The evergreen tree image was on a transfer bag they attached to the FPP symbolizing "topping out" of the space station - a tradition followed by Earth-based construction workers when a building reaches its final height.

  The blanket tensioning task had been quickly and carefully planned. On Wednesday Mission Control sent up to Endeavour descriptions of the task and video of fellow Astronaut David Wolf performing the solar blanket work on the ground.

  The space walk began at 10:13 a.m., more than 35 minutes earlier than planned. After the space walkers moved to the top of the P6, crew members inside Endeavour, Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialist Marc Garneau retracted the mast extending the starboard wing, which had been deployed Sunday, by two or three feet. Noriega pulled the slack tensioning cables through each take-up reel. Tanner turned the spring-loaded tension reels, then let them unwind while Noriega guided the cable onto the reel grooves, tensioning the slack blanket. The 240-foot-long, 38-foot-wide solar array continues to function well.

  The scheduled activities went so smoothly that Tanner and Noriega were able to complete some "get-ahead" tasks for the next scheduled space walks outside the space station in January. These included installing a sensor on a radiator, installing small antennas and doing a photo survey. Even so, they were able to conclude their space walk at 3:23 p.m., after 5 hours and 10 minutes outside. This brings total space walk time during STS-97 to 19 hours and 20 minutes, and total space walk time outside the station to 88 hours and 54 minutes.

  The space station's crew, Commander Bill Shepherd and cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko, packaged items for transfer to Endeavour and return to Earth. Their scheduled sleep period began a little after 3:30 p.m. They were to be awakened at 12:06 a.m. Friday. Endeavour's crew was scheduled to go to bed a little after 10 p.m. and be awakened at 6:06 a.m. Friday.

  The two crews will meet face to face, for the first time since Endeavour docked to the space station last Saturday, a little after 8:30 a.m. Friday.

• 2000 Dec 8 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #16 

  The International Space Station recorded another milestone today - the arrival of its first houseguests.

  The crew of the Space Shuttle Endeavour and the station's Expedition 1 crew opened the hatches of their respective spacecraft at 8:36 a.m. CST Friday. Station Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev shook hands with their first station guests in 38 days -- STS-97 Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Marc Garneau, Carlos Noriega and Joe Tanner.

  The meeting was the first face-to-face contact between the crews, even though their spacecraft have been docked together since last Saturday, orbiting the planet at an altitude of 230 statute miles. At least one hatch remained closed at all times to maintain different atmospheric pressures so that the shuttle crew could conduct three spacewalks and succeed in its primary mission objectives, the delivery, installation and activation of the first U.S. solar power system for the International Space Station.

  The new solar arrays are working well, converting the Sun's rays into electricity and providing an average of 13 kilowatts of additional energy for use by the space station, supplementing the power supplied by solar arrays on the Russian Zarya and Zvezda modules. Other station systems, including a carbon-dioxide removal system and an air conditioner that failed earlier in the week but were repaired by the station crew, are working well.

  After a short welcoming ceremony and safety briefing, the eight spacefarers got right to work conducting joint activities including structural tests of the station and its solar arrays, transfer of equipment, supplies and refuse back and forth between their two spacecraft and checking out a television camera cable that will help the next shuttle crew deliver and install the station's first laboratory module, Destiny.

  A joint crew news conference is scheduled for 3:57 p.m. CST today.

  The space station crew is scheduled to go to bed about 6 p.m. CST, and the shuttle crew a little later about 10 p.m.

• 2000 Dec 8 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #17 

  They'd been next-door neighbors since last Saturday, but they didn't get to meet face-to-face in space until Friday morning.

  The crews of the International Space Station and Space Shuttle Endeavour opened the last hatch separating them at 8:36 a.m. Space station commander Bill Shepherd and cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev greeted the Endeavour astronauts, Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Marc Garneau, Carlos Noriega and Joe Tanner, with handshakes.

  The two crews had remained separated because the pressure aboard Endeavour had been reduced to help prepare Tanner and Noriega for their space walks.

  The solar arrays they helped get ready for deployment and later repaired are functioning well. Systems aboard the space station are working well and Endeavour is performing almost perfectly.

  "It has been a great mission," lead shuttle flight director Bill Reeves said at a Friday briefing. All objectives already have been accomplished, he said, except for the fly around of the space station by Endeavour after the Saturday undocking.

  The eight crew members worked together to transfer equipment and supplies between the two spacecraft, and take refuse from the station aboard Endeavour for return to Earth. They did structural tests of the station and its solar arrays. They also finished setting up and checking out a TV system. Tanner and Noriega installed a cable for that system Thursday during their third space walk. The system will help a shuttle crew attach the U.S. laboratory Destiny to the station during a January mission.

  Both crews held a news conference beginning at 3:57 p.m. Friday. They spoke live with reporters at Johnson Space Center in Houston, at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and at Canadian Space Agency headquarters near Montreal. Immediately afterwards they talked with the Discovery Channel.

  The space station crew was scheduled to go to bed about 6 p.m. and wake up at 2:36 a.m. on Saturday. The shuttle crew will begin its sleep period about 10 p.m. and be awakened at 6:06 a.m. Saturday. Endeavour is scheduled to undock from the space station at 1:13 p.m. Saturday and, after the flyaround of the ISS, begin final separation at 2:17 p.m.

• 2000 Dec 9 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #18 

  Endeavour's astronauts said good-bye to the crew aboard the International Space Station at 9:51 a.m. CST today, closing the hatches between the two vehicles in preparation for undocking at 1:13 p.m.

  Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Marc Garneau, Joe Tanner and Carlos Noriega left behind Expedition 1 Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev, who still have three more months of space station living ahead of them.

  Before closing the hatches over the northern portion of the Persian Gulf, the two crews completed final transfers of supplies being delivered to the station and used equipment along with other items that were removed from the station for return to Earth.

  Endeavour and the STS-97 crew will perform a full fly-around of the station before firing the shuttle's thrusters to leave the vicinity of the station 240 statute miles above the Earth and begin heading for home.

  The crew's wake-up call today was "Back in the Saddle Again," by Gene Autry in honor of Bloomfield, who is making his second space flight and his second fly-around of a space station. The first was STS-86, on which he steered Atlantis around the Russian Space Station Mir.

  Canadian astronaut Garneau is scheduled to talk with John Manley, Canadian minister of foreign affairs and international trade, Mac Evans, Canadian Space Agency president, and elementary school children at the Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa at 5:26 p.m. CST.

  Before going to bed at 10:06 p.m. CST, the STS-97 crew will enjoy some off-duty time and adjust the shuttle's orbit to enable additional landing opportunities in Florida. Landing is scheduled for 5:04 p.m. CST Monday at Kennedy Space Center.

• 2000 Dec 9 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #19 

  Endeavour's astronauts made a final fly-around of the International Space Station Saturday afternoon, then separated from the orbital outpost they had helped make the most powerful spacecraft ever.

  Bob Cabana, ISS manager for International Operations, said at a Saturday afternoon briefing after Endeavour's undocking that the ISS is "a fully functional space station that is growing by leaps and bounds." Endeavour left the P6 solar array structure on the station, with wings stretching 240 feet from tip to tip. It can provide as much as 60 kilowatts of power under ideal conditions.

  The shuttle and the space station closed the last hatch linking them at 9:51 a.m. Undocking took place as scheduled, at 1:13 p.m. The shuttle and space station had been docked to one another for 6 days, 23 hours and 13 minutes. Endeavour moved downward from the space station, then began a tail-first circle at a distance of about 500 feet. The maneuver, with pilot Mike Bloomfield at the controls, took about an hour.

  While Endeavour flew that circle, the two spacecraft, moving at five miles a second, flew about two-thirds of the way around the Earth. Undocking took place 235 statute miles above the border of Kazakhstan and China. When Endeavour made its final separation burn, the orbiter and the space station were near the northeastern coast of South America.

  Shortly after undocking, Expedition One commander Bill Shepherd radioed a "well done Endeavour" to commander Brent Jett, Bloomfield and mission specialists Marc Garneau, Joe Tanner and Carlos Noriega. Jett radioed the station crew best wishes for the rest of its mission. Shepherd and cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev will spend about three more months aboard the space station.

  Late in the day, Canadian astronaut Garneau talked with John Manley, Canadian minister of foreign affairs and international trade, Mac Evans, Canadian Space Agency president, and elementary school children at the Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa.

  Before going to bed at 10:06 p.m. the STS-97 crew got some off-duty time and adjusted the shuttle's orbit to give it an additional landing opportunity in Florida. Endeavour is to touch down at 5:04 p.m. CST Monday at Kennedy Space Center.

• 2000 Dec 10 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #20 

  Endeavour's five-member crew will pack up and get ready to come home today after successfully completing all the objectives of the STS-97 mission to help the International Space Station spread its wings.

  Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Marc Garneau, Carlos Noriega and Joe Tanner were awakened at 6:06 a.m. CST, as Endeavour led the station on orbit by about 530 nautical miles.

  Aboard the station, Expedition 1 Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev had been awake since midnight, enjoying a light-duty day of housekeeping and communications passes with friends and family members.

  Endeavour's morning wake-up music was "Beyond the Sea," sung by Bobby Darin -- a reference to the traditions observed on the station by Navy Commander Jett and Navy Captain Shepherd, including the ringing of the station's ship's bell when the shuttle crew departed Saturday.

  Today, Jett and Bloomfield will check out the systems that will be used for landing. A test of the aerodynamic control surfaces they will use to steer Endeavour like a glider through the atmosphere is set for 10:06 a.m. CST. A hot-firing of the reaction control system jets they will use to guide the shuttle out of orbit is set for 11:16 a.m.

  After lunch, Jett, Tanner and Noriega will talk with reporters at the Associated Press, and the Telemundo and Univision Networks at 2:51 p.m. CST. The entire crew then will stow away the gear that was used on the space station assembly mission.

  Endeavour is scheduled to touch down at 5:04 p.m. CST Monday at Kennedy Space Center.

• 2000 Dec 10 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #21 

  After their successful mission to the International Space Station, Endeavour astronauts spent much of Sunday getting ready to land at Kennedy Space Center Monday afternoon. They tested Endeavour's controls and stowed equipment in preparation for their 5:04 p.m. CST landing in Florida.

  The weather forecast for the anticipated landing time at Kennedy Space Center calls for a slight chance of showers in the area, and flight controllers will continue to monitor the weather conditions in Florida tomorrow. Landing opportunities are available at Edwards Air Force Base in California as well on Monday, and flight controllers could opt to send Endeavour there if conditions warrant. The weather at Edwards is predicted to be favorable.

  There are two landing opportunities on Monday at Kennedy Space Center. The second is at 6:41 p.m. Edwards has three opportunities. The first is at 6:35 p.m. CST, the second at 8:09 p.m. and the third at 9:46 p.m.

  Endeavour's five crew members, Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Marc Garneau, Carlos Noriega and Joe Tanner, were awakened at 6:06 a.m. They checked out the flight control surfaces - the rudder and flaps that will control Endeavour after it enters the atmosphere. They also checked out the reaction control system thrusters that will keep the orbiter in the proper attitude as it begins its fiery re-entry.

  Jett, Tanner and Noriega talked with reporters from the Associated Press and the Telemundo and Univision networks a little before 3 p.m. Sunday, before focusing on their stowage tasks. Endeavour's crew was scheduled to begin its sleep period just after 10 p.m. and to be awakened at 6:06 a.m. Monday to begin landing-day activities.

  Aboard the station, now about 1,250 miles behind Endeavour, Expedition 1 Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev were awakened at midnight. They had a light day, doing housekeeping tasks and speaking with family and friends via radio. Their scheduled sleep period began about 3:30 p.m.

• 2000 Dec 11 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #22 

  Endeavour's astronauts were awakened this morning to Bing Crosby's "I'll Be Home for Christmas," beginning what should be their final day in orbit as they prepare for a landing this evening at the Kennedy Space Center.

  Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Carlos Noriega, Marc Garneau and Joe Tanner will move into their formal de-orbit preparation timeline about noon. For the first landing opportunity of the day, Entry Flight Director LeRoy Cain would give the crew a "go / no go" call on closing Endeavour's payload bay doors about 1 p.m.

  There are two landing opportunities in Florida today, the first beginning with an orbital maneuvering system engine firing at 3:57 p.m. CST, and culminating in a landing on Shuttle Landing Facility runway 15 at 5:04 p.m. CST (6:04 p.m. EST). In the event weather precludes a landing on that first opportunity, a second landing opportunity exists one orbit later with a de-orbit burn at 5:35 p.m. CST, resulting in a 6:40 p.m. (7:40 p.m. EST) landing at the Kennedy Space Center. If that second opportunity is selected, residents along the Gulf of Mexico may have a good view of Endeavour's plasma trail as it blazes through the atmosphere on its way home to Florida.

  Preliminary weather forecasts, while basically favorable for landing, call for a slight chance of showers in the vicinity of the Shuttle Landing Facility today. Landing opportunities also are available at Edwards Air Force Base in California, and flight controllers could decide to send Endeavour there if conditions warrant. Edwards has three landing opportunities at 6:35 p.m., 8:09 p.m. and 9:46 p.m. CST.

  Aboard the International Space Station, now about 1,500 miles behind Endeavour, Expedition 1 Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev are taking advantage of the additional space offered by the Unity module.

  With additional power provided by the station's new solar arrays -- delivered and installed by Endeavour's crew - the station crew now has continuous access to that module. Early this morning, Shepherd provided flight controllers with views of a cluttered module, and asked for the crew to have time for some housekeeping on Tuesday. Shepherd indicated he had elected to spend much of Monday setting up a new resistance exercise device in Unity, and looked forward to opening the hatch in the docking port vacated by Endeavour so that it can be used as closet space.

• 2000 Dec 11 - STS-97 Mission Status Report #23 

  Endeavour and its five astronauts returned home to the Kennedy Space Center Monday evening, wrapping up a mission that delivered first set of U.S.-provided solar arrays to the Expedition One crew aboard the International Space Station, increasing power to the complex five fold in setting the stage for future station assembly.

  Commander Brent Jett guided Endeavour to a landing at 5:03 p.m. Central time, 36 minutes after sunset, wrapping up a 4,476,164 million mile (7,203,687 kilometers) mission that saw three space walks conducted to install, checkout and activate the first of four planned sets of solar arrays that will operate on the facility. Jett and his crewmates, Pilot Mike Bloomfield and Mission Specialists Marc Garneau, Joe Tanner and Carlos Noriega touched down on Runway 15 at the Florida spaceport to wrap up the fifth and final shuttle flight of the year, heralding their arrival with an early evening twin sonic boom as the shuttle went subsonic just minutes before reaching its landing strip.

  It was the 16th night landing in shuttle program history.

  Four minutes before landing, the International Space station flew almost directly over Kennedy Space Center, with the Expedition One crew of Bill Shepherd, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev asleep, having completed their 41st day in space and their 39th day aboard the international outpost. They are due to be awakened just after midnight Central time to begin a day highlighted by the reconfiguration of systems to accept the new supply of power from the huge solar wings on the station.

  The five crew members are scheduled to be reunited with their families within a few hours of landing and will spend the night near the Kennedy Space Center to relax. The crew is scheduled to return to Houston and a welcoming ceremony at Ellington Field about 4 p.m. Central time Tuesday.

  With Endeavour's landing, the stage is set for the next shuttle flight of Atlantis in about five and a half weeks to deliver the U.S. Laboratory "Destiny" to the International Space Station, the cornerstone of scientific research on the growing complex.

• 2000 Dec 14 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-61 

  With five times more power than was available just two weeks ago, the Expedition One crew spent the week reconfiguring systems on the International Space Station (ISS) to route electricity being generated from the newly installed U.S. solar arrays on the orbiting complex to the Station's modules.

  Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev tidied up the ISS after last week's departure of Endeavour's astronauts who installed of the huge solar array truss structure on the Station. Around 50 kilowatts of power are being generated by the arrays, which span 240 feet from wing tip to wing tip.

  The Expedition crew members worked to transfer electricity to the Zarya and Zvezda modules to augment the power being generated from the solar panels on the two Russian segments and have conducted tests with two radiators which were deployed from the U.S. solar array truss designed to dissipate heat from the truss itself.

  Flight controllers in Houston at the Johnson Space Center conducted additional tests with the newly activated S-band communications system and report that the assembly, which is mounted at the top of the solar array truss, is providing 10-15 per cent greater coverage for low data rate telemetry than before Endeavour's visit.

  Engineers reported that the Floating Potential Probe device installed on the array truss has sent data to the ground indicating that the so-called Plasma Contactor Units located on the Station's Z1 truss are discharging excess electricity from the ISS as it moves through low Earth orbit at a speed of about 5 miles a second.

  The Expedition crew is preparing for the arrival of Atlantis in January on the STS-98 mission to deliver the U.S. Laboratory Destiny to the expanding facility. Atlantis may roll out to its launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center as early as this weekend pending a successful analysis of cabling associated with the system which detonates separation bolts on the Shuttle's Solid Rocket Boosters. The analysis comes in the wake of the failure of one of those bolts to operate properly during Endeavour's climb to orbit November 30.

  Meanwhile, the Expedition crewmembers will spend two extra weeks in orbit due to the delay in the launch of their ride home --- Discovery --- on the STS-102 mission. Originally scheduled for launch on February 15 to bring the Expedition Two crew to the ISS to replace Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalev, Discovery is now targeted for launch March 1 due to additional time needed to replace 10 jet thrusters on the orbiter. The Expedition One crewmembers have plenty of supplies on board and the extra two weeks aloft will have no impact on their operations.

  U.S. and Russian ISS managers continue discussions regarding the possible redocking of an unmanned Russian Progress resupply vehicle to the Station later this month. The Progress, which delivered food and supplies to the Expedition One crew in November, was undocked on December 1 and placed in a parking orbit several hundred miles away from the ISS. Russian flight controllers are interested in returning the Progress to the ISS to be used as a trash receptacle for the crewmembers prior to the launch of Atlantis to the Station next month. A window of December 24-28 is being discussed for the potential redocking because of good lighting conditions for the operation, which would be conducted by Gidzenko, using a manual navigation system at a control panel inside Zvezda.

  The ISS is orbiting at an altitude of 230 statute miles in excellent shape with the Expedition One crew in its 44th day in space and its 42nd day on board the outpost.

  A status briefing with Expedition One Lead Flight Director Jeff Hanley to discuss the progress of the mission will be held on Friday, December 15 at 3 p.m. CST (2100 GMT) at the Johnson Space Center and will be broadcast on NASA Television with multi-center question and answer capability. Another status briefing with Hanley will be held next week, on December 21, again at 3 p.m. CST from JSC and will again be broadcast on NASA TV.

• 2000 Dec 20 - ISS Status Report: ISS 00-62 

  Almost two months into their vanguard mission, the Expedition One crew spent the week checking systems on the International Space Station (ISS), conducting biomedical experiments and preparing for the redocking of an unmanned Progress resupply vehicle next week after a break to celebrate Christmas.

  Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev spent the last two days updating the Station's computers which keep track of all of the hardware used on board as part of an "inventory management system" designed to maintain files on where all of the crew's equipment is located.

  Now in their 50th day in space and their 48th day aboard the ISS, Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalev also conducted routine maintenance on environmental systems and communications gear as they near the midway point of their planned four-month mission.

  The Elektron oxygen-generation system, the Vozdukh carbon dioxide removal system and the air conditioning system are all working in excellent shape in the Zvezda living quarters to maintain a comfortable environment