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ISS-1 JSC Status Reports

Here on one page are all the ISS Status Reports for Expedition 1, as issued (usually weekly) by the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. I have not included the STS-97, -98 or -102 Shuttle Status Reports. The reports cover the period from October 2000 to January 2001.

Note: CDT – Central Daylight Time (GMT/UTC −05 hours).

International Space Station Status Report #00-42

3 p.m. CDT, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2000

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 Krikalyov 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.

The next Mission Control Center status report will be issued following the launch of the Expedition 1 crew on Oct. 31 or as events warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #00-43

2:30 a.m. CST, Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2000

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 Krikalyov on their way to their new home in space. Gidzenko, Shepherd and Krikalyov 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.

Coverage of the Expedition One crew’s voyage to the ISS will continue on NASA TV and through live video streaming on the internet at spaceflight.nasa.gov. The next status report will be issued at 10 a.m. CST or sooner if events warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #00-44

Tuesday, October 31, 2000 – Noon CST

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 Krikalyov 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 Krikalyov 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.

The next status report will be issued about 8 p.m. today or sooner if events warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #00-45

9 p.m. CST, Tuesday, October 31, 2000

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. The next status report will be issued about 8 a.m. Wednesday, or as events warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #00-46

Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2000 – 9:30 a.m. CST

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 Krikalyov, 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. The next status report will be issued about 8 p.m. Wednesday, or as events warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #00-47

8 p.m. CST, Wednesday, November 1, 2000

The Expedition 1 crew, Commander Bill Shepherd, Soyuz Commander Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalyov, 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 Krikalyov 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 Zvezda 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.

A post-docking news conference originating from Moscow will be replayed on NASA TV at about 5 a.m. CST.

All systems aboard the Soyuz spacecraft are in excellent shape and the space station remains in good condition. The next status report will be issued about 8 a.m. Thursday, or as events warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #00-48

Thursday, Nov. 2, 2000 – 8 a.m. CST

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 Krikalyov – 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 Krikalyov 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.

The next status report will be issued about 8 a.m. Friday or as events warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #00-49

Friday, Nov. 3, 2000 – 5 p.m. CST

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 Krikalyov 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.

Krikalyov 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.

Krikalyov, 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. Krikalyov 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 Krikalyov 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.

The next Expedition One status report will be issued on Saturday near the end of the crew work day.

International Space Station Status Report #00-50

Saturday, Nov. 4, 2000 – 3 p.m. CST

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 Krikalyov – 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.

Mission commentary has concluded for today on NASA Television and will resume at 10 p.m. CST Sunday. The Johnson Space Center Public Affairs Newsroom is closed and will reopen at 8 a.m. CST Monday. The next Expedition One status report will be issued on Monday or as events warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #00-51

Monday, Nov. 6, 2000 – 3 p.m. CST

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 Krikalyov 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 Krikalyov 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. Mission commentary on NASA Television will resume at 11 p.m.

International Space Station Status Report #00-52

Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2000 – 4 p.m. CST

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 Krikalyov 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 Krikalyov 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 Krikalyov 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. Mission commentary on NASA Television will resume at 11 tonight with the next Expedition One status report planned for Wednesday afternoon or sooner if developments warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #00-53

Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2000 – 4 p.m. CST

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 Krikalyov 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 Krikalyov have been burning one oxygen-producing canister each day per crew member to maintain the proper level of oxygen in the ISS modules.

Krikalyov 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. Mission commentary on NASA Television will resume at 11 tonight with the next Expedition One status report planned for Thursday afternoon or sooner if developments warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #00-54

4 p.m. CST, Thursday, November 9, 2000

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 Krikalyov 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 Krikalyov 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 Krikalyov 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. Mission commentary on NASA Television will resume at 11 p.m. Central time tonight with the next Expedition One status report planned for Friday afternoon or sooner if developments warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #00-55

Friday, Nov. 10, 2000 – 2 p.m. CST

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 Krikalyov 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. The JSC newsroom is closed and will reopen on Monday, November 13 at 8 a.m. Central time. Over the weekend, air-to-ground conversations between the Expedition One crew and flight controllers will continue and will be heard on NASA Television as well as on the human spaceflight website at: spaceflight.nasa.gov

NASA TV will broadcast the STS-97 preflight briefings beginning at 8 a.m. Central time Monday from the Johnson Space Center and Expedition One mission commentary will resume on NASA Television at 1 a.m. Central time Tuesday.

The next Expedition One status report will be issued on Tuesday afternoon or sooner if developments warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #00-56

Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2000 – 4 p.m. CST

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 Krikalyov completed a full rehearsal of the upcoming arrival and docking of the Progress resupply vehicle, with all systems checking out perfectly.

Gidzenko and Krikalyov 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 Krikalyov 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.

The next Expedition One status report will be issued about 3 p.m. Wednesday or sooner if developments warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #00-57

8 p.m. CST, Wednesday, November 15, 2000

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 Krikalyov 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 Krikalyov conducted the simulation, which was completed with no problems.

Krikalyov 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.

The next Expedition One mission status briefing will be held on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. Central time and will be broadcast live on NASA Television with question and answer capability from reporters at NASA Centers. The next written Expedition One status report will be issued on Friday night after the Progress docks to the ISS or sooner if developments warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #00-58

11:30 p.m. CST, Friday, November 17, 2000

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 Krikalyov 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.

The next ISS status report will be issued on Wednesday, Nov. 22nd, or earlier, if developments warrant. The JSC newsroom is closed and will reopen on Monday, Nov. 20th at 8 a.m. Central time.

Expedition One commentary on NASA Television will resume on Monday at 1 a.m. Central time.

International Space Station Status Report #00-59

3 p.m. CST, Wednesday, November 22, 2000

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 Krikalyov 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 Krikalyov 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. The next ISS status report will be issued Wednesday, Nov. 29, or sooner if events warrant.

Expedition One commentary on NASA Television will continue on Thanksgiving Day and Friday. The JSC newsroom will be closed on Thursday but will reopen at 8 a.m. Central time on Friday.

International Space Station Status Report #00-60

Thursday, November 30, 2000 – 10 a.m. CST

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 Krikalyov 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. Coverage of the STS-97 mission on NASA Television will begin on Thursday at 4 p.m. Central time.

Information regarding the Progress of the Expedition One mission aboard the ISS will be contained in the standard STS-97 Mission Status Reports beginning with Endeavour’s launch on Thursday. The next Expedition One ISS Status Report will be issued following the STS-97 mission.

International Space Station Status Report #00-61

Thursday, December 14, 2000 – 2 p.m. CST

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 Krikalyov 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 Krikalyov, 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.

The next written status report on the Expedition One crew and the International Space Station will be issued on Thursday, December 21, or earlier, if developments warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #00-62

Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2000 – 3 p.m. CST

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 Krikalyov 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 Krikalyov 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 for the three crew members. Work is underway to determine how many spare parts for key Station systems will be delivered aboard the Shuttle Atlantis next month on the STS-98 mission to install the U.S. Laboratory Destiny to the ISS. Other spare parts are scheduled to be launched aboard the next Progress resupply ship to the Station, currently targeted for blastoff around February 10th.

The Expedition crew plans a quiet Christmas celebration in orbit next Monday, opening presents delivered on the last Progress vehicle and by Endeavour’s astronauts earlier this month on the STS-97 mission. They will talk to their families in private conferences and enjoy a dinner of rehydrated turkey. Shepherd said yesterday the crew plans to spend a lot of time on Christmas simply looking out of the ISS windows at the Earth below.

This week, U.S. and Russian managers formally approved a plan for the redocking of the second Progress resupply ship to the ISS at around 5:00 a.m. Central time (1100 GMT) on December 26th. The Progress will be manually guided in by Gidzenko for its linkup to the Zarya module’s nadir, or downward facing, docking port. Gidzenko will be operating a joystick at the Zvezda module’s command post, which is part of the TORU, or telerobotically operated navigation system, as he flies the Progress in for its second docking to the Station.

Earlier today, Russian flight controllers executed the first is a series of engine firings on the Progress to begin drawing the vehicle back toward the ISS for its linkup. The firing occurred with the unmanned craft about 2300 kilometers in front of the ISS and was designed to raise the orbit of the Progress so that its closure rate on the Station would slow to about 40 kilometers per orbit, placing the Progress just 600 kilometers in front of the orbiting outpost this weekend. Additional engine firings are planned on Christmas Day and again in the morning on December 26 to refine the Progress’ path to the ISS, ultimately placing the craft about 200 meters below the Zarya module’s docking port, where Gidzenko will take over manual control of the approach of the Progress.

Once docked, the Progress will be used as a trash receptacle by Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalyov until it is undocked a final time the day after Atlantis’ launch on the next Shuttle assembly flight to the ISS. The Progress was launched on November 16th from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and was manually docked to the ISS on November 18th By Gidzenko after its automated navigation system encountered a software problem. The Progress was undocked on December 1st after the launch of Endeavour and was placed in a parking orbit to allow Russian engineers time to devise a software patch to the automatic guidance system which will be tested during next Tuesday’s rendezvous and redocking.

An Expedition One Mission Status Briefing is scheduled for Thursday, December 21 at 4 p.m. EST at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX to discuss the Progress of the flight and upcoming activities for Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalyov. The briefers will include Lead Expedition One Flight Director Jeff Hanley and ISS Flight Director John Curry, who is overseeing the plans for the Progress redocking. The briefing will include a multicenter question and answer capability and will be broadcast on NASA Television, which can be found on GE-2, Transponder 9C at 85 degrees West longitude, vertical polarization, with a frequency of 3880 Mhz and audio of 6.8 Mhz.

The next written Expedition One status report will be issued on Tuesday, December 26 following the Progress redocking, or sooner, if developments warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #00-63

Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2000 – 7 a.m. CST

More than three weeks after it was undocked and placed in a parking orbit, an unmanned Russian Progress resupply vehicle was manually redocked to the International Space Station (ISS) this morning to be used as a trash receptacle and a fuel farm by the Expedition One crew.

Operating from a control panel in the ISS’ Zvezda command center, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko guided the 7½ ton Progress in for a smooth linkup to the Zarya module’s nadir, or downward facing docking port at 5:03 a.m. Central time (1103 GMT) as the two craft flew over northwest Mongolia, just south of the Russian-Mongolian border.

The Progress, which was first launched on November 16 and manually docked by Gidzenko on November 18 after a failure of the ship’s automatic Kurs guidance system, was undocked on December 1 and placed in a parking orbit to enable Russian flight controllers to correct a software glitch which prevented its automatic docking.

With Commander Bill Shepherd and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalyov looking on, Gidzenko deftly maneuvered the Progress in for its redocking from a distance of just under 200 meters, offering the crew a place in which to stow trash and have residual fuel available for any maneuvers which may be required prior to its final undocking the day after the launch of the Shuttle Atlantis next month on the STS-98 mission to bring the U.S. Laboratory Destiny to the ISS.

Within two hours after the redocking, Krikalyov equalized pressure between the Progress and the Zarya and opened hatches between the two vehicles to enable the crew members to deactivate the Progress’ systems. All ISS systems are functioning in good shape.

The crew will spend the rest of the week unloading ballast from the Progress, removing its Kurs automated docking system for analysis by engineers back on Earth, performing biomedical experiments and reviewing flight plans for the January Shuttle flight to install Destiny to the ISS’ Unity module.

Over the weekend, the crew spent a quiet Christmas, talking to their families, opening presents on board and receiving a holiday greeting on Christmas Day from NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin. The three crew members, who are in their 56th day in space and their 54th day aboard the Station, will spend a quiet New Year’s weekend, with a light work schedule on tap and additional conferences with their families planned to usher in 2001.

The next written Expedition One status report will be issued on Wednesday, January 3, or sooner, if developments warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #00-64

1 p.m. CST, Sunday, December 31, 2000

Having spent a quiet holiday weekend in orbit aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the Expedition One crew members maintained a Naval New Year’s tradition as they prepared to begin their tenth week in space.

With crewmates Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalyov at his side, Commander Bill Shepherd, a U.S. Navy Captain, provided a poem he wrote on board, capturing his thoughts and reflections, as he and his shipmates ushered in 2001.

It is Naval tradition for the person on duty at the helm of a ship to provide an entry into the ship’s log at the turn of the New Year. Shepherd wrote the following:

“In longstanding naval tradition, the first entry in a ship’s log for the New Year is always recorded in prose. We would like to share with all, the entry being made in the log tonight as ’Alpha’ salutes the New Year” –

Ship’s Log 0000 01 Jan 2001

We sail onboard space station “Alpha”
Orbiting high above Earth, still in night
Travelling our destined journey
beyond realm of sea voyage or flight

A first New Year is upon us
Eight strikes on the bell now as one
The globe spins below on its motion
Counting the last thousand years done.

15 midnights to this night in orbit
A clockwork not of earthly pace
Our day with different meaning now
In this, a new age and place

We move with a speed and time
Past that which human hands can tell
Computers programmed like boxes
Where only thoughts’ shadows dwell

“Central post” our ship’s bridge aboard
Screens dancing shapes in pale glow
We guide her course by electronic pulse
In figures no compass could show

Our panels set as sails to the Sun
With wake not ever seen but there
Only gyros feel the silent tugs
Wisps, swirls of such ocean rare

On this ship’s deck sits no helm now
Rudder, sheet, and rig long since gone
But here still – a pull to go places
Beyond lines where sky meets the dawn

Though star trackers mark Altair and Vega
Same as mariners eyed long ago
We are still as wayfinders of knowledge
Seeking new things that mankind shall know.

We commend to crews that will follow
Merit of the good ship we sail
Let Sun shine strong on Alpha’s wings
A symbol, and bright star we long hail.

The crew members spent a relaxing New Year’s Eve holding private conferences with their families as they gear up for a busy week of biomedical experiments and preparations for the next Shuttle assembly flight to the ISS which is scheduled for launch the third week in January.

The International Space Station continues to orbit the Earth in excellent shape at an altitude of 230 statute miles as it enters its fourth calendar year of existence.

The Johnson Space Center newsroom is closed and will reopen on Tuesday, January 2, 2001 at 8 a.m. Central time.

The next Expedition One status report will be issued on Wednesday, Jan. 3, or sooner, if developments warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #01-01

Wednesday, January 3, 2001 – 2 p.m. CST

The Expedition One crew moved into its tenth week in orbit today aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as preparations stepped into high gear for the launch of the next Shuttle assembly flight to the outpost.

Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalyov conducted biomedical and engineering experiments, Station systems maintenance and exercise this week, reporting that everything is proceeding smoothly more than halfway through their stay aboard the ISS.

The only technical issue being addressed by Russian flight controllers involves a minor problem with battery three in the Zvezda Service Module, which was temporarily taken offline to enable Krikalyov to check connector pins from the battery itself to a current converter unit behind one of the panels in the Station’s living quarters. The battery experienced a small drop in current flow, but has no impact on Station operations. All other batteries in Zvezda and the Zarya module are functioning normally as they draw power from the U.S. P6 solar arrays mounted on top of the Station’s Unity module. The huge U.S. solar arrays are providing more than ample power for all Station systems.

Because the sun is shining obliquely to the Russian module solar arrays this week due to its angle relative to the Earth, Russian controllers decided to reduce the power output of the Elektron oxygen generation system in Zvezda to conserve electricity. One or two solid fuel oxygen generation canisters will be activated today and tomorrow to augment the output of oxygen on board the ISS until the Elektron is returned to full power Friday when the sun is in a more favorable angle to the solar arrays of both Zvezda and Zarya. All environmental systems on the ISS are functioning normally.

Later this week, Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalyov will review flight plans for the upcoming mission of Atlantis to the ISS to deliver the U.S. Laboratory Destiny, the cornerstone of scientific research for years to come on the Station. Today, Atlantis was transported to Launch Pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center for final prelaunch preparations leading to liftoff in about three weeks on the first Shuttle mission of 2001.

Atlantis’ five astronauts, Commander Ken Cockrell, Pilot Mark Polansky and Mission Specialists Bob Curbeam, Marsha Ivins and Tom Jones will conduct a variety of countdown dress rehearsal procedures later this week at the Cape, culminating in a simulated launch countdown Saturday morning with the crew on board the Shuttle.

Launch of Atlantis to bring Destiny to the ISS is targeted for no earlier than January 19. Next week, NASA Shuttle and ISS managers will hold their traditional Flight Readiness Review to set a firm launch date for Atlantis’ mission to the Station.

The International Space Station continues to operate in excellent shape as it orbits the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of 230 statute miles.

The next Expedition One status report will be issued on Wednesday, Jan. 10, or sooner, if developments warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #01-02

Thursday, January 11, 2001 – 11 a.m. CST

Expedition One crewmembers are busily preparing the International Space Station for its next visitors – the five astronauts of the STS-98 mission of Atlantis – set to launch at 2:11 a.m. EST on January 19 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Atlantis’ precious cargo is the U.S. Laboratory Destiny, which will provide the orbiting outpost with its first science facility. STS-98 marks the seventh shuttle mission to the station and twelfth overall devoted to the assembly of the ever-growing international outpost in low Earth orbit.

Shuttle and station managers selected the target launch date following Wednesday’s traditional Flight Readiness Review to assess the readiness of the shuttle, station, crew, payloads and flight control teams. Based on a Friday early morning launch, Atlantis is scheduled to dock to the ISS just before 9 p.m. Eastern on January 20.

In preparation for the shuttle’s arrival, Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalyov conducted a thorough inventory of items onboard and began stowing equipment and supplies to clear passageways that will be used by the two crews throughout the seven days of joint operations.

Remaining work for the Expedition One crew in preparing for Atlantis’ arrival includes reviewing documentation for the laboratory’s activation, conferences with various technical specialists and the STS-98 crew, and a mid-tour debrief with flight controllers.

Destiny’s attachment and activation is the highlight of the 11-day mission along with the relocation of a shuttle docking port and three spacewalks designed to complete final connections between the laboratory, docking port and the station. The third spacewalk will mark the 100th in U.S. spacewalk history and the 60th based out of the shuttle.

In preparation for the relocation of the shuttle docking port, known as Pressurized Mating Adapter 2, flight controllers in Houston attempted to cycle four latches on the Common Berthing Mechanism to which the PMA currently is attached. The first latch cycled properly, but the second apparently was obstructed by a piece of the air ducting used to circulate air throughout the station while a shuttle is docked. Shepherd visibly detected the obstruction and a plan is in place to pressurize the volume of the PMA so that he can float in, move the vent and watch as flight controllers cycle the latch once again. This procedure sets the stage for the removal of the PMA to free the location for Destiny’s installation.

The only technical issue on the station at present is an apparent faulty current converter unit on one of eight batteries inside the Zvezda module. It has no impact on the station’s electrical generation capability, especially in light of the ample power available from the solar arrays installed on the STS-97 mission of Discovery in December. All station life support systems are working fine.

Atlantis’ five astronauts, Commander Ken Cockrell, Pilot Mark Polansky and Mission Specialists Bob Curbeam, Marsha Ivins and Tom Jones conducted a countdown dress rehearsal last weekend as technicians were installing the Destiny lab in its payload bay at Launch Complex 39B.

The International Space Station continues to operate in excellent shape as it orbits the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of 230 statute miles.

The next Expedition One status report will be issued on Wednesday, Jan. 17, or sooner, if developments warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #01-03

Wednesday, January 17, 2001 – 4 p.m. CST

With Space Shuttle Atlantis’ STS-98 mission delayed three weeks, the Expedition One crew aboard the International Space Station will continue to review documents and procedures in preparation for the arrival of the station’s newest module – the U.S. Laboratory Destiny.

Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalyov spent the last week reinstating the use of all eight batteries inside the Zvezda module by replacing a faulty current converter unit.

Meanwhile the crew pressurized and entered the shuttle docking port that will be repositioned on the next mission and moved an air duct that was obstructing the full motion of one of four berthing latches. Once the duct was moved, the latch was cycled without problem and is ready for the removal of the docking port in preparation for the installation of Destiny. The docking port then will be relocated to the opposite end of the laboratory.

For the next week, the Expedition One crew will continue to conduct a thorough inventory of items onboard and stow equipment and supplies. The three crew members also will review documentation for the laboratory’s activation, practice for an emergency departure similar to building fire drills, and take part in conferences with various technical specialists.

Shuttle managers ordered the rollback of Atlantis off the launch pad so that inspections can be made to cables inside a tray on the Solid Rocket Boosters. Destiny was removed from the payload bay today and will remain in a protective room on the launch pad until Atlantis returns next week.

Launch of Atlantis on the 102nd shuttle flight now is scheduled for no earlier than Feb. 6. Liftoff is tentatively set for 5:37 p.m. CST (2337 GMT). Docking to the station will occur just after Noon on Feb. 8.

Destiny will provide the orbiting outpost with its first science facility. Its attachment and activation is the highlight of the 11-day mission along with the relocation of the shuttle docking port. Three space walks will complete final connections between the laboratory, docking port and the station. The third space walk marks the 100th in U.S. Space walk history and the 60th based out of the shuttle.

Atlantis’ five astronauts, Commander Ken Cockrell, Pilot Mark Polansky and Mission Specialists Bob Curbeam, Marsha Ivins and Tom Jones will spend the next two weeks reviewing their official Flight Data File before flying to the Kennedy Space Center for the final days of the countdown.

International Space Station systems are in excellent shape orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of approximately 230 statute miles.

The next Expedition One status report will be issued on Wednesday, Jan. 24, or sooner, if developments warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #01-04

Thursday, January 25, 2001 – 2 p.m. CST

Nearing the end of their third month in space, the three-member Expedition 1 crew spent a smooth but busy week aboard the International Space Station, practicing emergency procedures, performing routine maintenance and inspections, and preparing for the continued expansion of the station with the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis next month.

With some additional testing of solid rocket booster cables successfully completed, Atlantis is now planned to be moved back to its Kennedy Space Center launch pad on Friday. Launch of the shuttle on mission STS-98 is now planned for about 6:11 p.m. EST Feb. 7. Atlantis will bring the first station laboratory, the United States-developed Destiny module, to the orbiting complex.

Station Commander Bill Shepherd, Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalyov and Pilot Yuri Gidzenko practiced emergency procedures aboard the station this week, dealing with a simulated leak aboard the complex and performing the preparations that would be needed if the station were evacuated. Such practice sessions may be performed regularly by station crews to ensure emergency procedures remain up to date and the crew’s skills remain sharp. Station flight controllers regularly simulate such activities on the ground for similar reasons.

Also this week, the station crew worked with updating and expanding the station’s Inventory Management System, a software package that tracks the amount and location of supplies and equipment aboard the outpost. The crew is continuing to add to the system supplies brought to the station in December by Shuttle mission STS-97, and they are expanding it to prepare for the arrival of the Destiny lab and its equipment.

The three space fliers also continued their daily regimen of exercise and performed several routine housekeeping-type activities – changing filters, inspecting equipment and checking station systems. Next week, plans for the crew and flight controllers may include a test of station procedures that will be used for the docking of the Space Shuttle Atlantis.

Orbiting the Earth at an average altitude of 230 statute miles, the International Space Station is operating in excellent condition. The next Expedition One status report will be issued on Wednesday, Jan. 31, or as developments warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #01-05

Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2001 – 2 p.m. CST

Activity aboard the International Space Station continues to focus on preparations for the arrival of Space Shuttle Atlantis late next week bringing the first scientific laboratory on the STS-98 mission.

Following the shuttle’s return to the launch pad, the U.S. Laboratory Destiny was installed in the payload bay Tuesday and the doors closed for flight last night. Atlantis’ launch remains scheduled for 6:11 p.m. EST, Feb. 7. The STS-98 flight crew of Commander Ken Cockrell, Pilot Mark Polansky and Mission Specialists Tom Jones, Marsha Ivins and Bob Curbeam are scheduled to fly to the Kennedy Space Center Sunday afternoon with the countdown scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. EST.

Meanwhile aboard the station, the Expedition One crew of Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalyov continue the task of preparing for the shuttle’s arrival while continuing their daily routine of exercise and housekeeping chores.

Troubleshooting efforts on a vibration measuring experiment paid off late last week when Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd recovered the operation of the Middeck Active Control Experiment (MACE). The experiment appears to be working fine and timeliners are busily searching for openings in the crew’s long-range plan to accommodate further operations with this experiment that originally flew as a shuttle payload to measure tiny amounts of vibration in an effort to identify how normal activity onboard may affect sensitive experiments.

Flight controllers plan to conduct an experiment to measure the electrical charging on the outside of the station by strategically positioning the large U.S. solar arrays as the station circles the Earth. The hopes are to correlate the array position with the amount of arcing that may be generated. Plasma Contactor Units on the station are designed to eliminating the arcing, if present. This Detailed Test Objective is designed to gather additional information that will help verify engineering models and/or refine future planning that may be required.

Additionally, the crew and flight controllers are planning to conduct a dry-run of the procedures for the shuttle docking to the ISS planned for two days after launch. Here’s a quick look at major activity during the STS-98 mission:

Event Time (EST)​/Date Mission Elapsed Time
Launch of Atlantis 6:11 p.m./Feb. 7 00/00:00
Atlantis/ISS Docking 11:56 a.m./Feb. 9 01/17:45
Hatch Opening 1:41 p.m./Feb. 9 01/19:30
EVA 1/Destiny installation 10:15 a.m./Feb. 9 02/16:05
EVA 2 10:40 a.m./Feb. 11 04/16:30
EVA 3 10:15 a.m./Feb. 14 06/16:05
Undocking 9:10 a.m./Feb. 16 08/14:59
Deorbit Burn 11:53 a.m./Feb. 18 10/17:42
KSC Landing 12:58 p.m./Feb. 18 10/18:47

Plans for the crew and flight controllers may include a test of station procedures that will be used for the docking of the Space Shuttle Atlantis.

Orbiting the Earth at an average altitude of 230 statute miles, the International Space Station is operating in excellent condition. The next update on the International Space Station and its Expedition One crew will be issued after the launch of Atlantis as part of the STS-98 Mission Control Center status reports.

International Space Station Status Report #01-06

6 a.m. CST, Saturday, February 24, 2001

Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalyov took a short flight around the International Space Station (ISS) today, repositioning their Soyuz capsule from the aft docking port of the Station’s Zvezda module to the nadir, or downward facing docking port of the Zarya module.

The 30-minute maneuver cleared Zvezda’s docking port for the arrival of an unmanned Russian Progress resupply cargo craft on Wednesday, carrying supplies for the next trio of space travelers who will live and work aboard the Station beginning next month.

With Gidzenko at the controls, the Soyuz backed away from the Station at 4:06 a.m. Central time, as Gidzenko maneuvered the capsule to a distance of about 300 feet away from Zvezda. He then flew the Soyuz about 45 degrees around the complex to align the ship with Zarya’s docking port. After a brief stationkeeping period to insure that all systems were functioning normally, Gidzenko flew his craft in for a linkup to Zarya at 4:37 a.m. Central time as the Soyuzand the ISS flew high over Central Europe.

It was the first time since the Expedition One crew arrived at the Station last November 2 that the ISS had been unoccupied, albeit for a brief period.

The crew was to spend the next several hours reopening hatches between the Soyuz and the Station and reactivating key environmental and communications systems on board which had been shut down last night in the unlikely event Gidzenko would have been unable to redock, forcing the crew to come home. Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalyov will begin an extended sleep period this afternoon and will be awakened on Sunday morning for a relatively light day of activities.

The Progress launch is scheduled on Monday at 2:09 a.m. Central time from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstzan, with docking to the Zvezda module planned for early Wednesday at 3:48 a.m. Central time. The crew will spend the rest of the week unloading the Progress in preparation for the launch of the Shuttle Discovery March 8 to ferry their replacements, the Expedition Two crew, to orbit.

Orbiting the Earth at an average altitude of 235 statute miles, the International Space Station is operating in excellent condition. The next written status report on the International Space Station and the Expedition One crew will be issued on Wednesday, February 28, following the Progress docking, or sooner, if developments warrant.

International Space Station Status Report #01-07

6 a.m. CST, Wednesday, February 28, 2001

An unmanned Russian Progress resupply ship successfully docked to the International Space Station (ISS) early today, bringing a ton of fuel, food and personal effects for the crew which has been living on board the outpost since November and the crew which is set to replace them in less than two weeks.

With Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalyov looking on from inside the Zvezda living quarters, the Progress automatically linked up to Zvezda’s aft docking port at 3:50 a.m. Central time as the Station sailed over Central Asia. Unlike the docking of the last Progress to the Station in November, which had to be conducted manually after the automated docking system experienced a problem, today’s linkup was textbook and uneventful. Last Saturday, with Gidzenko at the controls, the crew undocked its Soyuz capsule from the same docking port and flew to a redocking at the nadir docking port of the Zarya module to make room for the Progress.

Within two hours of docking, the crew opened hatches between Zvezda and Progress and began to unload its supplies, which include clothing, spare parts, computers and office gear for Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalyov and their replacements, Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev, Jim Voss and Susan Helms, who are set to be launched next Thursday aboard the Shuttle Discovery to begin the second expeditionary mission to the Station. The Expedition One crew will return home aboard Discovery on March 20 to complete more than four months in orbit.

Late yesterday, NASA managers officially set March 8 for the launch of Discovery to the Station on the STS-102 mission to not only transport the second Expedition crew, but to continue the outfitting of the U.S. Laboratory Destiny through two space walks and the delivery of additional logistical items, spare parts and hardware in an Italian-built cargo module called Leonardo. The first racks of science equipment for research aboard the Station will also be moved from Leonardo into Destiny, including the Human Research Facility, which will be a mainstay for experiments involving the study of the reaction of the human body to weightlessness.

The International Space Station continues to orbit the Earth in excellent shape at an altitude of 235 statute miles. Unless developments warrant, the next update on ISS activities will be included in the first STS-102 Mission Status Report, which will issued following Discovery’s launch on March 8.

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