Expedition One begins aboard ISS 2000

Expedition 1 crew (L-R): Sergei Krikalev, Bill Shepherd, Yuri Gidzenko

Expedition 1 mission patch

Expedition One, which began November 2, 2000, marked the beginning of a constant human presence aboard the International Space Station.  Crew members William Shepherd, Yuri Gidzenko, and Sergei Krikalev had blasted off just two days before aboard Soyuz TM-31 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.  

The first supply ship, the unmanned Russian spacecraft Progress M1-4 arrived at the station on November 18. 

On December 2, Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-97) arrived at the ISS, bringing more equipment for the station.  The crew conducted three EVAs prior to boarding the station. The Endeavour's crew returned to Earth December 11.

Expedition One's crew was given Christmas Day and New Year's Day off.

On February 9, 2001, Atlantis (STS-98) docked with the station bringing a crew of five for a temporary stay.  By this time, Expedition One had been on board for three months.  NASA had noticed a "three-month wall", a psychological barrier that causes depression in previous astronauts.  To combat this, NASA allowed more time for them to speak to their families and encouraged them to watch movies and listen to music they liked.

Discovery (STS-102) arrived at the ISS March 10, 2001, bringing a new crew for Expedition 2.  Expedition One returned to Earth on Discovery March 21, ending their four and a half months stay in space.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Robert Curbeam!

Robert Curbeam, born March 5, 1962 in Baltimore, Maryland(!), has been in space three times.  After graduation from the US Naval Academy with a Master's Degree in Astronautical Engineering in 1991, he was selected by NASA in Dec 1994.  

His first mission into space was aboard Discovery (STS-85) as mission specialist in August 1997. One of the experiments was the Southwest Ultraviolet Imaging Systems from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas (I've been there!) and the University of Maryland (I've been by there!).

His second flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-98) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in February 2001.  During the mission, he performed three EVAs with fellow astronaut Thomas Jones for almost 20 hours total.

His third and final mission was aboard Discovery (STS-116) to the International Space Station in December 2006.  He conducted four spacewalks for about 25 1/2 hours total, setting the record for the most EVAs during a mission.  

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Mark Polansky!

Mark Polansky, born June 2, 1958 in Paterson, New Jersey, is a veteran of three space shuttle missions.

His first mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-98) as pilot to the International Space Station in February 2001.  The crew delivered the Destiny Laboratory Module, the first NASA lab to be permanently used since Skylab.

His second mission was aboard Discovery (STS-116) as commander to the ISS in December 2006.  His wake up song was Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles.

His third and final trip was aboard Endeavour (STS-127) as commander to the ISS in July 2009.  He must really love Here Comes the Sun.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Marsha Ivins!

Marsha Ivins, born April 15, 1951 in Baltimore, Maryland, is a veteran of five space shuttle flights.

Her first flight was aboard Columbia (STS-32) as mission specialist in January 1990, the first mission of the 1990s.

Her second flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-46) as mission specialist in July-August 1992.  One of the objectives of the mission was to deploy the NASA/Italian Space Agency joint project, the Tethered Satellite System (TSS).

Her third flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-62) as mission specialist in March 1994.  During the mission, she spoke with students at Bronx High School of Science, who asked her questions about experiments being conducted in space.

Her fourth flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-81) as mission specialist in January 1997 to the space station Mir.  It was the fifth space shuttle mission mission to Mir.

Her fifth and final flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-98) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in February 2001.  The crew delivered the Destiny Laboratory Module to the ISS.

Atlantis (STS-98) launched 2001

STS-98 crew (L-R): Robert Curbeam, Mark Polansky, Marsha Ivins, Kenneth Cockrell and Thomas Jones

STS-98 Mission patch

Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-98), launched February 7, 2001, was the first flight of the twenty-first century.  Its crew consisted of Commander Kenneth Cockrell, Pilot Mark Polansky, Robert Curbeam, Marsha Ivins and Thomas Jones.  The mission delivered the Destiny Laboratory Module to the International Space Station and was installed during three EVAs by Tom Jones and Robert Curbeam. 

They returned to Earth February 20.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Kenneth Cockrell!

Kenneth Cockrell, born April 9, 1950 in Austin, Texas, is a veteran of five shuttle missions.  He was selected as an astronaut in January 1990.

His first flight was on Discovery (STS-56) as mission specialist in April 1993. 

His second flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-69) as pilot in September 1995.  During the mission, the Wake Shield Facility was deployed.

His third mission was on Columbia (STS-80) as commander November-December 1996.

He served as commander on his fourth mission on Atlantis (STS-98) to the International Space Station in February 2001, the first flight of the 21st century.

His final mission was on Endeavour (STS-111) in June 2002 to the ISS.  The mission carried the crew of Expedition 5 and returned with Expedition 4.

In 2006, he was reassigned to the Flight Crew Operations' Aircraft Operations Division at Ellington Field.

Celebrating Black History Month - Robert Curbeam, most spacewalks during space shuttle mission

Astronaut Robert Curbeam, born March 5, 1962 in Baltimore, Maryland(!), has performed the most  spacewalks (four) in a single mission.  He accomplished this record during  his third and final space shuttle mission on Discovery (STS-116) in December 2006.

His first flight was on Discovery (STS-85) in August 1997 and his second was on Atlantis (STS-98) in February 2001 when he conducted three EVAs.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Tom Jones!

Thomas Jones, born January 22, 1955 here in Baltimore, Maryland, is a veteran of four (magic number!) space shuttle flights.  He graduated from high school in Essex and got his Bachelor's Degree from the United States Air Force Academy.  While serving 6 years in the Air Force, he got pilot training in Oklahoma!  Wikipedia doesn't say where, though.

His first flight was on Endeavour (STS-59) in April 1994 as mission specialist.  His second flight was also on Endeavour (STS-68) September-October 1994 as mission specialist.

He was scheduled to conduct two EVAs during his third mission on Columbia (STS-80) with fellow astronaut Tammy Jernigan in November-December 1996.  However, problems with the airlock hatch resulted in both being cancelled.

His fourth and final mission was on Atlantis (STS-98) in February 2001 to the International Space Station.  This time he completed three successful EVAs totaling over 19 hours in space.

He retired from NASA in 2001.