Orbital Focus - International Spaceflight Facts and Figures
carousel image
 
International Space Station


Tyneside, UK
2024 Mar 28
Thursday, Day 88

Curated by:







ISS Pages:








Expedition 1

This section of the diary covers the period between 2000 October and 2001 March. Bill Shepherd, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev go aboard the International Space Station to become its first long-stay crew while Shuttle visits add further modules to the ISS including the Destiny laboratory.

Date Time (UTC) Event
2000 Oct 6 01:38 Originally planned launch time for Shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station - lift off postponed due to concerns over the separation of the orbiter from the external tank following analysis of the Atlantis /STS-106 lift off - engineers are also concerned about a slow response from a pressure valve in Discovery fuel system
2000 Oct 7 01:16 Planned launch attempt for Space Shuttle Discovery - postponed 24 hrs before lift-off and prior to re-commencing the countdown due to continued concerns over one of Discovery fuel valves
2000 Oct 10 00:04 Second launch attempt for Space Shuttle Discovery - postponed due to high wind conditions at the Kennedy Space Center
2000 Oct 10 23:40 Third launch attempt for Space Shuttle Discovery - postponed due to the presence of an equipment retaining pin lodged in the orbiter support structure and noticed by launch-pad inspection crews - mission managers are concerned about possible damage to the Orbiter should it fall during launch
2000 Oct 11 23:17 Space Shuttle Discovery launched from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on mission STS-92 into orbit of 160 x 321 kilometres at 51.6 degrees inclination with crew consisting of Col Brian Duffy, USAF (commander), Lt-Col Pamela Ann Melroy, USN (pilot), and mission specialists Koichi Wakata (Japan National Space Development Agency), Leroy Chiao, Peter J K Wisoff, Cdr Michael E Lopez-Alegria, USN, and Col William Surles McArthur Jnr, USA
2000 Oct 12 mission controllers note that Discovery Ku-band antenna has failed, preventing communication via the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) - this will limit the transmission of television pictures and high-speed data - the mission itself will be unaffected
2000 Oct 13 Duffy and McArthur use the Remote Manipulator System to conduct a camera survey of the exterior of the ISS
2000 Oct 13 17:45 Discovery docks with the PMA-2 docking adaptor on the Unity Module of the International Space Station while passing over the Ukraine and within range of Russian tracking stations - orbit is 375 x 382 kilometres
2000 Oct 13 20:30 Approximate time - Lopez-Alegria opens Discovery docking hatch
2000 Oct 13 21:15 Approximate time - Lopez-Alegria opens the hatch to PMA-2 and Duffy enters the Unity module of the International Space Station, followed by Lopez-Alegria, Chiao and Melroy - they begin to offload supplies for the first resident crew of the station due to arrive 2000 November
2000 Oct 14 Melroy and Wisoff open a hatch inside Unity which leads to the Z-1 truss pressurised compartment and link-up electrical earth (ground) connections between the Truss and Unity
2000 Oct 14 16:50 Approximate time - Wakata and Lopez-Alegria use the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) to lift the Z-1 Truss out of the cargo bay - the operation begins about 2 hours and 15 minutes late due to an electrical short-circuit aboard Discovery and the need to re-route electrical power to several of Discover systems
2000 Oct 14 18:20 The Z-1 Truss is latched in place on Unity upper surface
2000 Oct 14 22:57 The outer hatch between Discovery and Unity is closed - the cabin pressure inside Discovery is then reduced in preparation for a space walk to take place 2000 October 15
2000 Oct 15 14:27 McArthur and Chiao begin a space walk to connect two sets of power cables (a group of six and a group of four) to provide power to heaters and conduits on the Z-1 Truss - the two astronauts also relocate two communication antenna assemblies and install a toolbox on the outside of the Truss - they are assisted by Wakata, who operates the RMS to move them around the shuttle payload bay and outside the ISS
2000 Oct 15 20:55 McArthur and Chiao seal Discovery hatch at the end of the space walk.
2000 Oct 16 14:15 Wisoff and Lopez-Alegria begin a space walk to oversee installation of PMA-3 on the lower face of Unity , they also prepare the Z-1 truss for fitting of solar panels during the next Shuttle visit - they release PMA-3 from it stowage pallet and guide Wakata as he manoeuvres it into position- Melroy then operates the remote control system to tighten the securing bolts - finally, Wisoff and Lopez-Alegria connect cables between the Adaptor and Unity
2000 Oct 16 21:04 Approximate time - Discovery manoeuvring engines are fired eighteen times, for 1.4 seconds each occasion, over a period of thirty minutes in order to raise the ISS orbit to 380 x 381 kilometres
2000 Oct 16 21:22 Wisoff and Lopez-Alegria seal Discovery hatch at the end of the space walk
2000 Oct 17 14:30 McArthur and Chiao begin a space walk to attach power convertors to the Z-1 Truss in preparation for it to have solar arrays attached, to complete the connection of cables between Unity and the Z-1 Truss and between Unity and PMA-3, and to re-route and reconfigure cables between PMA-2 and PMA-3 ready for the next Shuttle mission to use the new docking port - they are assisted by Lopez-Alegria and Wakata, who operate the RMS to move them around the outside of the ISS
2000 Oct 17 21:18 McArthur and Chiao seal Discovery hatch at the end of the space walk.
2000 Oct 17 21:30 Approximate time - for a second time, Discovery manoeuvring engines are fired eighteen times, for 1.4 seconds each occasion, over a period of thirty minutes in order to raise the ISS orbit to 381 x 386 kilometres
2000 Oct 18 15:00 Wisoff and Lopez-Alegria begin a space walk to remove a grapple fixture from the Z-1 Truss which was used when lifting it from Discovery cargo bay, complete preparations for the Z-1 Truss to receive a future solar panel, and test a gas-operated manoeuvring unit designed to allow an adrift astronaut to make it back to the space station - they cancelled a demonstration of recovering an incapacitated astronaut back into the Shuttle due to a lack of time
2000 Oct 18 21:53 Approximate time - for a third time, Discovery manoeuvring engines are fired eighteen times, for 1.4 seconds each occasion, over a period of thirty minutes in order to raise the ISS orbit to 381 x 391 kilometres
2000 Oct 18 21:56 Wisoff and Lopez-Alegria seal Discovery hatch at the end of the space walk
2000 Oct 20 15:08 Discovery undocks from the International Space Station
2000 Oct 20 15:53 Approximate time - Discovery fires its RCS and moves away from the International Space Station
2000 Oct 22 18:14 Originally-planned landing time for Discovery at the Kennedy Space Center, but the attempt (and a later one) are called off because crosswinds are too high
2000 Oct 23 Landing opportunities for Discovery at the Kennedy Space Center and at Edwards Air Force Base in California are waived due to continued winds and low cloud at KSC and rainfall at Edwards
2000 Oct 24 20:59 Discovery lands on the Edward Air Force Base Runway
2000 Oct 24 21:00 Wheel stop - Discovery mission is completed
2000 Oct 25 19:52 Discovery fires its OMS engines for three minutes to initiate re-entry
2000 Oct 31 07:52 Soyuz TM-31 spacecraft launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome Launch Complex 1 by Soyuz-U rocket, carrying the ISS Expedition 1 crew consisting of Capt William M Shepherd, USN (Expedition 1 commander), Lt-Col Yuri Gidzenko, Russian Air Force (Soyuz commander) and Sergei Krikalyov (mission flight engineer)
2000 Oct 31 08:02 Soyuz TM-31 separates from its rocket and enters orbit of 185 x 231 kilometres at 51.7 degrees inclination
2000 Oct 31 12:00 Approximate time - Space Shuttle Endeavour begins roll-out to Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center
2000 Oct 31 14:00 Soyuz TM-31 in 246 x 270 kilometre orbit
2000 Oct 31 22:00 Approximate time - Space Shuttle Endeavour installed on Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center
2000 Nov 1 04:02 Progress M1-3 undocks from the International Space Station to leave the Zvezda docking port clear for the arrival of Soyuz TM-31
2000 Nov 1 07:05 While passing near the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Progress M1-3 fires its manoeuvring engine to initiate re-entry
2000 Nov 1 07:40 Progress M1-3 enters the Earth atmosphere and burns up as a result of frictional heating while over the southern Pacific Ocean near Tahiti and the Cook Islands
2000 Nov 2 09:21 Soyuz TM-31 docks with the Zvezda module of the International Space Station - orbit is 379 x 388 kilometres at 51.6 degrees inclination
2000 Nov 2 10:23 The Expedition 1 crew opens the hatch between Soyuz TM-31 and Zvezda , and enters the International Space Station - initial operation will involve only the Zvezda and Zarya modules as Unity remains unpowered until the next shuttle mission which will install its solar arrays
2000 Nov 6 Expedition 1 crew instals components of the TORU manual control system for use in remote control of approaching Russian spacecraft (eg Progress)
2000 Nov 15 Expedition 1 crew tests operation of the TORU manual control system
2000 Nov 16 01:32 Progress M1-4 cargo supply ship launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome Launch Complex 1 by Soyuz-U rocket
2000 Nov 16 01:42 Progress M1-4 separates from its rocket and enters an approximately 195 x 225 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination
2000 Nov 16 07:16 Progress M1-4 in 260 x 270 kilometre transfer orbit
2000 Nov 18 03:06 Originally planned docking time for Progress M1-4 but a communications problem in the automatic docking system caused Progress M1-4 to halt when 100 metres from the docking port
2000 Nov 18 03:48 Progress M1-4 docks with Zarya lower forward docking port under manual control from the ISS , the crew has waited until the station enters the Earth shadow to avoid glare through the TV camera lens aboard Progress - orbit is 377 x 384 kilometres
2000 Dec 1 03:06 Space Shuttle Endeavour launched from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center on mission STS-97 into orbit of 197 x 323 kilometres at 51.6 degrees inclination with crew consisting of Cdr Brent Jett, USN (commander), Lt-Col Michael Bloomfield, USAF (pilot), and mission specialists Joseph Tanner, Lt-Col Carlos Noriega, USMC, and Marc Garneau (Canadian Space Agency)
2000 Dec 1 16:23 Progress M1-4 undocks from Zarya and moves away from the ISS into a 371 x 380 kilometre orbit from where it can return to he ISS if required after Endeavour departure
2000 Dec 2 The crew of Endeavour transfers a quantity of supplies (including coffee) and some replacement computer hardware to the PMA-3 Adaptor for the ISS crew (the two crews will not meet until all space walks are completed because of the need to maintain a lower air pressure inside Endeavour )
2000 Dec 2 19:59 Endeavour docks with the PMA-3 docking adaptor on the Unity Module of the International Space Station while passing over Kazakhstan - orbit is 374 x 380 kilometres
2000 Dec 2 20:17 Controlled by Marc Garneau, the Remote Manipulator System is used to lift the P6 Solar Array Truss out of its berth in Endeavour payload bay to begin several hours of acclimatisation to space
2000 Dec 3 09:38 Gidzenko and Krikalyov enter Unity and PMA-3 to collect the items left for them by the STS-97 crew
2000 Dec 3 18:35 Tanner and Noriega begin a space walk to attach the P6 Solar Array Truss to the Z1 Truss on Unity
2000 Dec 3 19:32 The P6 Solar Array Truss is latched in place on the Z-1 Truss after being lifted into position using the RMS, controlled by Marc Garneau aboard Discovery
2000 Dec 4 01:23 The crew aboard Endeavour unfurls the first panel of the ISS new solar array - the operation takes 13 minutes but mission managers are unhappy with the tension in the panel (possibly caused by a cable jumping off its pulley) and postpone deployment of the second array
2000 Dec 4 02:08 Tanner and Noriega complete their first space walk from Endeavour
2000 Dec 5 00:52 The crew of Endeavour unfurls the second panel of the ISS new solar array - the operation takes 114 minutes through use of a more-cautious, stop-start, approach than with the first panel
2000 Dec 5 10:30 The Expedition 1 crew begins internal work in the Unity module of the ISS to allow power from the new solar panels to be used
2000 Dec 5 17:21 Tanner and Noriega begin a space walk to connect cables and cooling lines from the new solar array structure, check out why the starboard panel is not properly tensioned, move an S-band antenna from the Z-1 Truss to the P-6 Tower, and prepare the PMA-2 docking adaptor to be moved during the next Shuttle mission that will deliver the Destiny laboratory module
2000 Dec 5 23:58 Tanner and Noriega complete their second space walk from Endeavour
2000 Dec 7 16:13 Tanner and Noriga begin a space walk to tension the starboard panel of the solar array and instal a probe to measure electrical potential in the new structure
2000 Dec 7 21:23 Tanner and Noriega complete their third space walk from Endeavour
2000 Dec 8 14:36 The hatch between Endeavour and the PMA-3 docking adaptor is opened and the STS-97 crew joins the Expedition 1 crew aboard the ISS
2000 Dec 9 15:51 The hatch between Endeavour and the PMA-3 docking adaptor is closed and the STS-97 crew prepares to undock from the ISS - orbit is 368 x 378 kilometres
2000 Dec 9 19:13 Endeavour undocks from the International Space Station
2000 Dec 11 21:57 Endeavour fires its OMS engines to initiate re-entry
2000 Dec 11 23:03 Endeavour lands on the Kennedy Space Center runway
2000 Dec 11 23:04 Wheel stop - Endeavour mission is completed
2000 Dec 20 15:00 Approximate time - by virtue of its lower orbit, Progress M1-4 has reached a point about 2300 kilometres ahead of the ISS - firings of its manoeuvring engine raise the orbit from 367 x 384 kilometres to 372 x 382 kilometres which begins to reduce the separation distance between the two craft
2000 Dec 23 21:42 ISS passes Progress M1-4 at about 5 kilometres distance and the freighter begins to fall behind the space station in order to set up the right conditions for an approach prior to re-docking
2000 Dec 26 05:30 Approximate time - Progress M1-4 adjusts its orbit slightly and keeps station about 180 kilometres behind the ISS
2000 Dec 26 08:33 Progress M1-4 aligns itself for the approach and begins then begins to move towards the ISS
2000 Dec 26 10:54 Following an automatic approach followed by a period of manual control by Gidzenko using the TORU control system, Progress M1-4 re-docks with Zarya lower docking port - orbit is 364 x 375 kilometres
2001 Jan 2 13:30 Approximate time - Space Shuttle Atlantis begins roll-out at the Kennedy Space Center - unfortunately a computer problem with the transporter system means that it has to be rolled back into the Vehicle Assembly Building
2001 Jan 3 13:21 Space Shuttle Atlantis begins its second roll-out to Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center
2001 Jan 3 20:45 Approximate time - Space Shuttle Atlantis installed on Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center
2001 Jan 16 Inspections are needed of the wiring systems of all Space Shuttle solid rocket boosters - Atlantis originally planned launch on 2000 January 19 is postponed
2001 Jan 19 13:18 Space Shuttle Atlantis begins its roll-back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center
2001 Jan 19 19:25 Space Shuttle Atlantis completes its roll-back the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center
2001 Jan 26 06:30 Approximate time - Progress M1-5 raises its orbit to 256 x 281 kilometres
2001 Jan 26 11:48 Space Shuttle Atlantis begins its third roll-out to Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center
2001 Jan 29 02:58 According to mission Control, any surviving pieces of Progress M-43 land in the sea at this time
2001 Feb 7 23:13 After a two minute delay due to troubleshooting an electronic component, Space Shuttle Atlantis launched from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on mission STS-98 into orbit of 205 x 322 kilometres at 51.6 degrees inclination with crew consisting of Kenneth D Cockrell (commander), Mark Polansky (pilot), and mission specialists Cdr Robert L Curbeam (USN), Thomas D Jones and Marsha S Ivins
2001 Feb 8 11:26 Progress M1-4 undocks from Zarya and moves away from the ISS
2001 Feb 8 14:00 Atlantis in 306 x 361 kilometre orbit
2001 Feb 8 18:30 Estimated time - Following a retro rocket firing, Progress M1-4 re-enters the Earth atmosphere to the east of New Zealand and burns up as a result of frictional heating
2001 Feb 9 16:51 Atlantis docks with the PMA-3 docking adaptor on the Unity Module of the International Space Station while passing over the Pacific Ocean near New Guinea - orbit is 350x 363 kilometres
2001 Feb 9 19:03 The hatches between Atlantis and the ISS are opened so that the joint crews can unload supplies and technical hardware from the Shuttle to the Station
2001 Feb 10 01:00 Approximate time - the Shuttle crew leaves the ISS and the hatches are closed in order that the Orbiter cabin pressure can be lowered from 750 to 500 mm ready for the some of the Shuttle crew to undertake space walks
2001 Feb 10 11:48 A minor adjustment, adding approximately 1 kilometre to the orbital altitude, ensures that the ISS will avoid the possibility of colliding with a piece of space debris which has been detected on a path which might bring it close to the Station
2001 Feb 10 15:00 Using the Remote Manipulator System, Ivins removes the PMA-2 docking adaptor from Unity and stows it on a temporary fixture attached to the station Z-1 Truss
2001 Feb 10 15:50 Jones and Curbeam begin a space walk from Atlantis to supervise attachment of the Destiny module to the forward end of Unity - Ivins uses the Shuttle RMS to move the module into place then Jones and Curbeam connect power and data cables and coolant lines
2001 Feb 10 23:24 Jones and Curbeam complete their space walk from Atlantis one hour later than planned owing to de-contamination procedures needed when Curbeam space suit was exposed to frozen Ammonia leaking from a coolant line
2001 Feb 11 01:50 Approximate time - the hatches between Atlantis and the Space Station are opened so that Shuttle commander Cockrell and Station commander Shepherd can begin a remote control power-up of Destiny systems - at this point the hatches between Unity and Destiny are still closed
2001 Feb 11 ISS orbit is 350 x 363 kilometres - a series of thruster firings by Atlantis raises the orbit to 356 x 370 kilometres
2001 Feb 11 13:43 PMA-3 is locked onto Unity after being moved by Thomas using Discovery Remote Manipulator System (RMS) from the lower side of Unity to the left hand side (when facing forward)
2001 Feb 11 14:38 Joint crew of STS-98 and the ISS enters Destiny for the first time to begin work on activating internal equipment and installing a rack of equipment to augment the Station existing air purification system
2001 Feb 12 12:10 Space Shuttle Discovery begins roll-out to Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center
2001 Feb 12 15:59 Jones and Curbeam begin a second space walk from Atlantis to supervise attachment of the PMA-2 docking adaptor to the forward end of the Destiny module (Ivins uses the RMS to move the adaptor from its temporary location on the Z-1 Truss) and to install the mounting unit for the ISS manipulator arm to be delivered on the STS-100 mission
2001 Feb 12 18:35 Space Shuttle Discovery installed on Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center
2001 Feb 12 22:49 Jones and Curbeam complete their second space walk from Atlantis having finished their scheduled tasks ahead of time, as a result of the time gained. They bring forward the installation of shutters over the Window in Destiny together with an electric motor to operate them
2001 Feb 13 15:38 During two further sessions of pulsed firing of Atlantis thrusters spread over a total of 260 minutes elapsed time, the orbit of the ISS is raised further to 365 x 378 kilometres
2001 Feb 14 14:48 Jones and Curbeam begin a third space walk from Atlantis to attach a spare antenna to the Z-1 Truss, check and complete the earlier connections made between Unity and Destiny , and practice a technique for getting an injured astronaut back inside the Shuttle
2001 Feb 14 20:13 Jones and Curbeam complete their third space walk from Atlantis
2001 Feb 15 The joint crews of Atlantis and the ISS spend the day moving nearly 1,400 kilogrammes of equipment into the space station and removing about 400 kilogrammes of accumulated rubbish
2001 Feb 15 During a fourth, and final, session of pulsed firing of Atlantis thrusters, the orbit of the ISS is raised further to 376 x 389 kilometres
2001 Feb 16 13:14 The hatch between Atlantis and the PMA-3 docking adaptor is closed and the STS-98 crew prepares to undock from the ISS
2001 Feb 16 14:06 Atlantis undocks from the International Space Station and conducts a fly-around inspection before moving away
2001 Feb 18 17:53 Planned landing time for Atlantis - the Shuttle is waved-off on this and the next orbit due to high crosswinds on the Kennedy Space Center runway
2001 Feb 19 18:27 Possible landing time for Atlantis but, for a second day, the Shuttle is waved-off on this and the next orbit due to unfavourable weather at the Kennedy Space Center
2001 Feb 19 21:37 The core module of the Mir space station celebrates its fifteenth anniversary in orbit
2001 Feb 20 19:27 After controllers decide that the weather is still unfavourable at the Kennedy Space Centre, Atlantis fires its OMS engines for 163 seconds to initiate re-entry
2001 Feb 20 20:33 Atlantis lands on the Edwards Air Force Base concrete runway
2001 Feb 20 20:34 Wheel stop - Atlantis mission is completed
2001 Feb 24 10:06 Soyuz TM-31 undocks from the aft port of Zvezda with the Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalyov aboard
2001 Feb 24 10:35 Soyuz TM-31 docks with the downward-facing port on Zarya - the Zvezda docking port is now ready for use by Progress M-4
2001 Feb 26 08:09 Progress M-4 cargo supply ship launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome Launch Complex 1 by Soyuz-U rocket
2001 Feb 26 08:19 Progress M-4 separates from its rocket and enters a 191 x 223 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination
2001 Feb 26 19:00 Progress M-4 is in an orbit of 265 x 282 kilometres
2001 Feb 28 09:49 Progress M-4 docks with the rear port of Zvezda - orbit is 373 x 385 kilometres
2001 Mar 8 11:42 Space Shuttle Discovery launched from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center on mission STS-102 into orbit of 159 x 235 kilometres at 51.6 degrees inclination with crew consisting of Capt James D Wetherbee, USN (commander), Lt-Col James M Kelly, USAF (pilot), and mission specialists Andy Thomas and Paul Richards - as passengers, Discovery carries the ISS Expedition 2 crew consisting of Yuri Usachev (station commander), Col James S Voss, USA (ret'd) and Col Susan Helms, USAF
2001 Mar 8 16:00 Discovery orbit is 233 x 273 kilometres
2001 Mar 10 05:34 Originally planned time for docking of Discovery with the ISS - it is delayed by difficulty with one of the main solar panels which were turned edge-on to Discovery on its approach to minimise contamination from exhaust plumes - it will not latch in place as planned so the panel is rotated slightly in order that an alternative latch can be used
2001 Mar 10 06:38 Discovery docks with PMA-2 on the forward-facing end of the Destiny module while over the southern Pacific Ocean near New Zealand - orbit is 371 x 381 kilometres
2001 Mar 11 Yuri Usachev contoured seat is fitted inside Soyuz TM-31 and he exchanges places aboard the ISS with yuri Gidzenko - he begins the handover routines with Bill Shepherd as relieving commander
2001 Mar 11 05:12 Helms and Voss begin a space walk to prepare for removing PMA-3 in order that the Leonardo module may be attached to Destiny - they also move a cradle assembly from Discovery cargo bay to the outside of Destiny which will be used later to mount the Station own RMS, and fit a cable tray to the outside of Destiny - they spend the last hour of the spacewalk waiting inside the airlock while the PMA-3 adaptor is moved
2001 Mar 11 14:08 Helms and Voss complete their space walk after 8 hrs 56 minutes - the longest space walk in Shuttle history
2001 Mar 12 03:37 Thomas attaches the RMS to Italian built Leonardo logistics module in Discovery cargo bay
2001 Mar 12 04:10 Using the RMS, Thomas lifts Leonardo from Discovery cargo bay
2001 Mar 12 06:02 Leonardo is firmly connected to Unity downward-facing Common Berthing Mechanism
2001 Mar 12 James Voss contoured seat is fitted inside Soyuz TM-31 and he exchanges places aboard the ISS with Sergei Krikalyov
2001 Mar 13 The ISS crew begins moving the five tonnes of equipment racks from inside Leonardo for re-fitting into the Destiny laboratory module
2001 Mar 13 05:23 Richards and Thomas start a space walk to add various items of equipment to the outside of the ISS including power cables for the upcoming RMS - they also move to the top of the tower on the Z-1 Truss in order to activate a latch on one of the solar panels
2001 Mar 13 11:44 Richards and Thomas complete their space walk after 6 hrs 21 mins - they then remain inside the airlock while it is depressurised for a short period as part of a Shuttle systems test
2001 Mar 14 06:00 Susan Helms' contoured seat is fitted inside Soyuz TM-31 and she exchanges places with Bill Shepherd - the crew exchange is complete but Shepherd remains commander of the ISS for the time being
2001 Mar 15 Discovery manoeuvring engines are fired repeatedly over a period of fifty minutes in order to raise the ISS orbit to 372 x 389 kilometres - this re-boost is 24 hours earlier than planned due to a need to move the ISS away from the orbit taken up by a 5 kg foot restraint which floated out of the cargo bay during the space walk 2000 March 11
2001 Mar 18 Compitations show that, through atmospheric drag, Mir's orbit will have reached a low-enough altitude for de-orbiting 2001 Mar 23
2001 Mar 18 10:40 Using the RMS, Thomas detaches Leonardo from Unity - the event has been delayed four hours due to the crew having to check for air leaks around Unity hatch
2001 Mar 18 12:08 Leonardo is locked down in Discovery cargo bay
2001 Mar 19 02:32 The hatches between Discovery and the ISS are closed - Yuri Usachev, Expedition 2 commander is now in charge of the ISS
2001 Mar 19 04:32 Discovery undocks from the International Space Station and conducts a fly-around inspection before moving away - Yuri Usachev, Expedition 2 commander is now in charge of the ISS
2001 Mar 21 06:26 Discovery fires its OMS engines to initiate re-entry
2001 Mar 21 07:31 Discovery lands on the Edward Air Force Base Runway
2001 Mar 21 07:32 Wheel stop - Discovery mission is over and the ISS crew exchange between Expedition 1 and Expedition 2 has been completed
2001 Mar 23 06:04 Fragments of Mir - possibly as much as 25 tonnes of debris - impact in the southern Pacific Ocean
Copyright © Robert Christy, all rights reserved
Reproduction of this web page or any of its content without permission from the website owner is prohibited