The first international crew arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on November 2, 2000. The crew consisted of NASA astronaut William M Shepherd and Russian Aviation and Space Agency, now Roscosmos, cosmonauts Yuri P. Gidzenko and Sergei K Krikalev. They reached the space station two days after blasting off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, aboard the Soyuz TM31 spacecraft.
Their arrival at the orbital laboratory marked the beginning of Expedition 1, the first long-duration mission on the ISS.
What were the primary tasks of Expedition 1 crew?
After docking into the station, the crew transferred aboard the laboratory and started bringing it to life. The primary tasks of the Expedition 1 crew members during their four-month mission included installing and activating the life support and communications systems, and integrating three visiting space shuttle crews to continue the assembly of the ISS. The Expedition 1 crew members returned to Earth in March 2001 aboard space shuttle Discovery, after turning the space station over to the Expedition 2 crew.
Tasks performed before entering the space station
According to NASA, Gidzenko guided the Soyuz TM31 spacecraft to a successful docking at the Zvezda Service Module's aft port. The crew members began equalising the pressure between the Soyuz TM31 spacecraft and the ISS, before entering the space station.
After some initial difficulties with opening the Soyuz orbital compartment hatch, they opened the first hatch to the space station. Shepherd was filming the event.
Krikalev and Gidzenko entered Zvezda's transfer chamber to await pressure equalisation with the module's main work compartment, following which Krikalev opened the hatch and floated into Zvezda. He turned the lights on as he went, and was followed by Gidzenko and Shepherd.
First televised session from ISS
Some time after entering the station, Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalev assembled in the work compartment of the Zvezda module to hold their first televised session with the Flight Control Center in Korolev, Russia, outside of Moscow.
The event was monitored by flight controllers in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalev spoke briefly with Russian Aviation and Space Agency General Director Yuri N Koptev and NASA Administrator Daniel S Goldin.
What tasks did Expedition 1 crew members perform?
Expedition 1 crew members started working after the broadcast. The crew's first tasks included the activation of the hot water dispenser, so that they could enjoy a warm beverage, and use the toilet.
Over the next few days, the trio installed and activated the station's critical systems such as the oxygen generation system and the carbon dioxide removal system.
November 18, 2000: First Progress resupply craft arrives at the space station
On November 18, 2000, the trio welcomed their first Progress resupply craft that brought more than 5,000 pounds of cargo, water and propellants to the ISS.
When the automated rendezvous system of the resupply craft malfunctioned, Gidzenko piloted it to a successful docking using a teleoperated system.
Two weeks after this, the trio greeted their first guests, the crew of the space shuttle Endeavour visiting the ISS on the STS-97 mission to install the station's first truss segment. The Integrated Truss Structure of the ISS is made up of 11 segments and a separate component called Z1 that are attachment points for the solar arrays, thermal control radiators and external payloads on the space station. The first truss segment included the first solar arrays to provide power to the orbiting outpost.
Destiny US Laboratory Module arrives at ISS
The STS-98 crew aboard Atlantis delivered the Destiny US Laboratory Module, the primary American research facility, to the space station in February 2001. Space shuttle Discovery arrived at the space station the following month, during the STS-102 mission. Discovery arrived with a Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, delivering supplies and the first research rack to be installed in Destiny, the first Human Research Facility rack.
Expedition 2 crew members arrived at ISS in March, 2001
Discovery brought the replacements of Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalev to the ISS. The new crew members were Russian cosmonaut Yuri V Usachev and NASA astronauts James S Voss and Susan J Helms. They were a part of Expedition 2.
After 141 days on the space station, the first expedition to the ISS ended when Discovery touched down at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on March 21, 2001.