Gidzenko Credit - www.spacefacts.de

Personal: Male, Married, Two children. Born in Elanetsky, Elanets, Nikolayev, Ukraine. Soviet Air Force Soviet Air Force Soviet Air Force

Astronaut Career

Astronaut Group: Air Force Group 8 - 1987. Inactive Entered space service: 26 March 1987. Left space service: 15 July 2001. Number of Flights: 3.00. Total Time: 329.95 days. Number of EVAs: 2.00. Total EVA Time: 0.15 days.

Call sign: Uran (Uranus). Official NASA Biography

NAME: Yuri Pavlovich Gidzenko (Lieutenant Colonel, Air Force Russia)

Cosmonaut of the Y.A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center

PERSONAL DATA:

Born March 26, 1962 in the village Elanets, Elanetsky district, Nikolayev region. Resides in Star City. Married to Olga Vladimirovna (Shapovalova), born December 21, 1961. They have two sons. Gidzenko enjoys team sports, swimming, tennis and football. Gidzenko's parents, Pavel Vasilievich and Galina Mikhailovna, reside in the settlement of Berezovka, Odessa region.

EDUCATION:

Graduated from Kharkov Military Aviation College of Pilots in 1983. Graduated from Moscow State University of land-surveying and cartography in 1994.

SPECIAL HONORS:

Awarded three Armed Forces medals.

EXPERIENCE:

After graduation from Aviation College in 1983, served as a pilot and senior pilot in the Air Force. 3rd class military pilot.

December 1987 through June 1989, took the course of general space training. Starting September 1989 continued training in the group of test-cosmonauts.

Instructor of paradrop training. Fulfilled 145 parachute jumps.

From March through October 1994 trained for the 17th main mission and Euromir-94 flight as a commander of the backup crew.

From September 3, 1995 through February 29, 1996, Gidzenko was the commander of the Euromir-95 mission on the Russian Space Station Mir.

Gidzenko is presently in training as the Soyuz Commander for the International Space Station assembly mission 2R, along with fellow Russian Sergei Krikalev and NASA astronaut Bill Shepherd.

• 3 September 1995 Flight: Mir EO-20. Flight Up: Soyuz TM-22. Flight Back: Soyuz TM-22. Flight Time: 179.07 days.

• 31 October 2000 Flight: ISS EO-1. Flight Up: Soyuz TM-31. Flight Back: STS-102. Flight Time: 140.98 days.

• 25 April 2002 Flight: ISS EP-3. Flight Up: Soyuz TM-34. Flight Back: Soyuz TM-33. Flight Time: 9.89 days.

26 March 1987 - Soviet Air Force Cosmonaut Training Group 8 selected..

Reflecting the international cooperation involved in building the largest space complex in history, Commander Bob Cabana and Russian Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev opened the hatch to the U.S.-built Unity connecting module at 1:54 p.m. Central time Thursday and floated into the new station together.

The rest of the crew followed and began turning on lights and unstowing gear in the roomy hub to which other modules will be connected in the future. Each passageway within Unity was marked by a sign leading the way into tunnels to which new modules will be connected.

About an hour later, at 3:12 p.m., Cabana and Krikalev opened the hatch to the Russian-built Zarya control module, which will be the nerve center for the station in its embryonic stage. Joined by Pilot Rick Sturckow and Mission Specialists Jerry Ross, Jim Newman and Nancy Currie, Cabana and Krikalev hailed the historic entrance into the International Space Station and said the hatch opening signified the start of a new era in space exploration.

Ross and Newman went right to work in Unity, completing the assembly of an early S-band communications system that will allow flight controllers in Houston to send commands to Unity's systems and to keep tabs on the health of the station with a more extensive communications capability than exists through Russian ground stations. The astronauts also conducted a successful test of the videoconferencing capability of the early communications system, which will be used by the first crew to permanently occupy the station in January 2000. Newman downlinked greetings to controllers in the station flight control room in Houston and to astronaut Bill Shepherd, who will command the first crew and live aboard the station with Krikalev and Cosmonaut Yuri Gidzenko.

Krikalev and Currie replaced a faulty unit in Zarya which controlled the discharging of stored energy from one of the module's six batteries. The battery had not been working properly in its automatic configuration, but the new unit was functioning normally shortly after it was installed.

The astronauts also unstowed hardware and logistical supplies stored behind panels in Zarya, relocating the items for use by the shuttle crew that will visit the station in May and Shepherd's expedition crew. Late this afternoon, the astronauts will complete their initial outfitting of the station.

The hatches to Zarya and Unity will be closed before Endeavour undocks from the new station Sunday, leaving the new complex to orbit the Earth unpiloted.

The astronauts begin an eight-hour sleep period at 2:36 a.m. Central time this morning and will be awakened at 10:36 a.m. to begin their ninth of day in orbit.

Endeavour and the International Space Station are circling the globe every 90 minutes at an altitude of 247 statute miles with all systems operating in excellent shape.

Mission Specialist Ellen Ochoa, who has been coordinating the transfer activities, reported early this morning that the transfer of clothing, water, sleeping bags, spare parts, medical equipment, supplies and hardware for the so-called Expedition One crew is essentially complete. Mission Specialist Julie Payette coordinated stowage of the items in the Unity and Zarya modules. Earlier in the flight, space walkers Dan Barry and Tammy Jernigan installed another 700 pounds of equipment on the exterior of the station to be used during future assembly missions. A handful of items will be carried from Discovery to the station late tonight to wrap up the primary objective of the flight.

One of the few items still to be transferred is a seventh bag of water. A total of almost 75 gallons of water will be left aboard the station for the first resident crew, which is comprised of Expedition Commander Bill Shepherd and Russian cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Kirkalev.

With the transfer work all but complete, the astronauts conducted some additional work, installing parts of a wireless strain gauge system that will help engineers track the effects of adding modules to the station throughout its assembly, cleaning filters and checking smoke detectors.

The crew took time from their activities overnight to conduct a variety of news conferences with media representatives, and Payette accepted a congratulatory call from Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien and schoolchildren in Ottawa.

The astronauts began an eight-hour sleep period at 7:50 a.m. Central time and will be awakened at 3:50 p.m. to begin their final day of work aboard the international station.

The primary activity for the astronauts will be to move the few remaining items from Discovery to the ISS, then close a series of hatches within the station's modules leading back to the shuttle. Shortly after 4:30 a.m. Thursday, Discovery's thrusters will be commanded to fire in a series of 17 bursts to raise the Space Station's altitude by about five to six miles. That reboost maneuver will enable the station to be in the correct altitude for the arrival of the Russian Zvezda service module late this year. It will be the next component to be linked to the growing station complex and the first living quarters for the first permanent occupants of the orbital facility.

Discovery and the International Space Station are in excellent health orbiting 240 miles above the Earth.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

International Space Station Assembly Sequence
March 2000 Update

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

"We laid out the red carpet for the first crew to come aboard," said Bob Cabana, manager of international operations for the International Space Station Program.

Undocking occurred at 10:46 p.m. CDT Sunday over Russia near the northeastern portion of the Ukraine. When Atlantis was at a safe distance from the station, about 450 feet, Pilot Scott Altman performed a 90-minute, double-loop fly around to enable the crew to document the station's exterior. He fired Atlantis' jets one final time to separate from the station at 12:35 a.m.

"It glistened out there in the different sunlight, watching the sunrise and sunset. The way it illuminated the solar arrays on the service module was just phenomenal," Altman said, when asked about the fly around during a crew news conference early Monday. "It sparkled like a jewel against the blue background of the oceans."

Commander Terry Wilcutt, Altman and Mission Specialists Ed Lu, Rick Mastracchio, Dan Burbank, Yuri Malenchenko and Boris Morukov all answered questions posed by reporters at NASA centers and the Russian mission control center outside of Moscow.

Wilcutt said he had no advice for the first station residents - Bill Shepherd, Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko -- other than to "enjoy it like a new home." When asked about living conditions aboard the station, in particular noise levels inside the Zvezda service module, he said "We all think it's just fine. No louder than the shuttle. It's just fine the way it is."

Following the in-flight press conference, Malenchenko and Morukov remained in Atlantis' middeck to field questions from Russian reporters in Moscow before enjoying six hours of off-duty time and an eight-hour sleep period.

When the astronauts are awakened at 5:46 p.m. CDT this afternoon, they will check out the shuttle systems used for reentry and landing and secure equipment and transfer items in preparation for their homecoming. Landing is scheduled for 2:56 a.m. CDT Wednesday at Kennedy Space Center.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Operating from a control panel in the ISS' Zvezda command center, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko guided the 7 ½ 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 Krikalev 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, Krikalev 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.

With crewmates Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev 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
Traveling 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.

Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev 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 Krikalev 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 Krikalev 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 Shutt