Voss Credit - www.spacefacts.de

Personal: Male, Married, One child. Born in Cordova, Alabama, USA. US Army US Army

Astronaut Career

Astronaut Group: NASA Group 12 - 1987. Inactive Entered space service: 5 June 1987. Left space service: June 2003. Number of Flights: 5.00. Total Time: 202.23 days. Number of EVAs: 4.00. Total EVA Time: 0.97 days.

NAME: James S. Voss (Colonel, USA)

NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA:

Born March 3, 1949, in Cordova, Alabama, but considers Opelika, Alabama, to be his hometown. Married to the former Suzan Curry of Birmingham, Alabama. They have one daughter. He enjoys woodworking, skiing, softball, racquetball, scuba diving, and flying an airplane he built himself. As an undergraduate, he participated on the Auburn University Wrestling Team.

EDUCATION:

Graduated from Opelika High School, Opelika, Alabama; received a bachelor of science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Auburn University in 1972, and a master of science degree in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado in 1974.

SPECIAL HONORS:

NASA Outstanding Leadership Award (1996); NASA Exceptional Service Medal (1994); NASA Space Flight Medals (1992, 1993, 1995); Defense Meritorious Service Medal (1993); Defense Superior Service Medal (1992); Outstanding Student Award, USN Test Pilot School (1983); William P. Clements, Jr. Award for Excellence in Education as the outstanding Professor at the U.S. Military Academy (1982); Meritorious Service Medal (1982); NASA Summer Faculty Research Fellowship (1980); Commandant's List - Infantry Officer Advanced Course (1979); Army Commendation Medal (1978); Honor Graduate and Leadership Award - Ranger School (1975); Distinguished Graduate - Infantry Officer Basic Course (1974).

EXPERIENCE:

Upon graduation from Auburn and commissioning as a 2nd Lieutenant, Voss went directly to the University of Colorado to obtain his masters degree under the Army Graduate Fellowship Program. After attending the Infantry Basic Course, Airborne and Ranger schools, he served with the 2nd Battalion 48th Infantry in Germany as a platoon leader, intelligence staff officer, and company commander. On returning to the United States, he attended the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, then taught for three years in the Department of Mechanics at the U.S. Military Academy. After attending the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and the Armed Forces Staff College, Voss was assigned to the U.S. Army Aviation Engineering Flight Activity as a Flight Test Engineer/Research and Development Coordinator. He was involved in several major flight test projects before being detailed to NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center.

NASA EXPERIENCE:

Voss has been working at the Johnson Space Center since November 1984. In his capacity as a Vehicle Integration Test Engineer, he supported Shuttle and payload testing at the Kennedy Space Center for STS 51-D, 51-F, 61-C and 51-L. He participated in the STS 51-L accident investigation, and supported the resulting reviews dedicated to returning the Space Shuttle safely to flight. Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in June 1987, Voss completed a one year training and evaluation program in August 1988, which qualified him for assignment as a mission specialist on Space Shuttle flights. He has worked as a flight crew representative in the area of Shuttle safety, as a CAPCOM, providing a communications interface between ground controllers and flight crews during simulations and Shuttle flights, and as the Astronaut Office Training Officer. A veteran of three space flights, Voss has logged over 600 hours in space. He flew as a mission specialist on STS-44 in 1991 and STS-53 in 1992, and was the payload commander on STS-69 in 1995.

On his first mission, Voss served on the crew of STS-44, aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis, which launched the night of November 24, 1991. The primary mission objective was accomplished with the successful deployment of a Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite with an Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) rocket booster. In addition, the crew also conducted two Military Man in Space experiments, three radiation monitoring experiments, and numerous medical tests to support longer duration Shuttle flights. The mission was concluded after 110 orbits of the Earth with Atlantis returning to a landing on the lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on December 1, 1991, after 166 hours in space.

Voss next served on the crew of STS-53 which launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on December 2, 1992. The crew of five deployed the classified Department of Defense payload DOD-1 and also performed several Military Man in Space and NASA experiments. After completing 115 orbits of the Earth in 175 hours, Discovery landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on December 9, 1992.

Jim's last flight was as Payload Commander on STS-69 which launched on September 7, 1995. The crew successfully deployed and retrieved a SPARTAN satellite and the Wake Shield Facility. Also on board was the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker payload, and numerous secondary payloads and medical experiments. Jim conducted an EVA (extravehicular activity) lasting 6 hours 46 minutes to test space suit modifications and to evaluate procedures and tools to be used to construct the International Space Station. Endeavour landed at the Kennedy Space Center on September 18, 1995 after 171 orbits of the Earth and 260 hours in space.

CURRENT ASSIGNMENT:

Voss is currently assigned to the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, where he is training for a space flight with the Russians.

• 25 November 1991 Flight: STS-44. Flight Up: STS-44. Flight Back: STS-44. Flight Time: 6.95 days.

• 2 December 1992 Flight: STS-53. Flight Up: STS-53. Flight Back: STS-53. Flight Time: 7.31 days.

• 7 September 1995 Flight: STS-69. Flight Up: STS-69. Flight Back: STS-69. Flight Time: 10.85 days.

• 19 May 2000 Flight: STS-101. Flight Up: STS-101. Flight Back: STS-101. Flight Time: 9.84 days.

• 8 March 2001 Flight: ISS EO-2. Flight Up: STS-102. Flight Back: STS-105. Flight Time: 167.28 days.

5 June 1987 - NASA Astronaut Training Group 12 selected.. The group was selected to provide pilot, engineer, and scientist astronauts for space shuttle flights.. Qualifications: Pilots: Bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics. Advanced degree desirable. At least 1,000 flight-hours of pilot-in-command time. Flight test experience desirable. Excellent health. Vision minimum 20/50 uncorrected, correctable to 20/20 vision; maximum sitting blood pressure 140/90. Height between 163 and 193 cm.

Mission Specialists: Bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics and minimum three years of related experience or an advanced degree. Vision minimum 20/150 uncorrected, correctable to 20/20. Maximum sitting blood pressure of 140/90. Height between 150 and 193 cm.. First selection after the Challenger accident. 1962 applicants, 117 finalists. Reported to Johnson Space Center on August 17, 1987, to begin their one year training. Seven pilots and eight mission specialists. Two female mission specialists, including the first black woman astronaut. Ten military officers and five civilians (including three from NASA Johnson and one from NASA Marshall).

The next Shuttle crew to visit the ISS was finalized last week and includes Jim Voss, Susan Helms and Yuri Usachev - the second crew that will live aboard the ISS next year. They now will take an early 'peak' at their home during the STS-101 mission that will be commanded by Jim Halsell and piloted by Scott Horowitz. Rounding out the crew will be Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber and Jeff Williams. Atlantis is being readied at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the launch scheduled for no earlier than April 13.

While vehicle processing continues, mission planners are working on stowage and maintenance tasks that will be carried out on the 11-day flight. A spacewalk by Williams and Voss will include checking the position of a small crane mounted outside Zarya in addition to other tasks. The crane was installed during a spacewalk on the most recent Shuttle visit to the ISS. Plans call for Williams and Voss to ensure the crane is properly secured in its mounting socket.

Meanwhile, battery cycling continues on orbit with two of the six batteries currently in restoration mode, which is a procedure periodically carried out to maintain the life and capacity of each unit. At present, three batteries are supplying all the electrical needs of Station equipment.

STS-101 is designed to not only supply the Station with more logistics for use by future crews, but also to replace some of Zarya's aging batteries and other equipment in preparation for the arrival of the Zvezda service module in July. Presently, Zvezda is being readied for a launch between July 8-14.

Station managers plan to hold a meeting with the International Partners in the next week or two to finalize updates to the assembly sequence that will include launch target dates for the remainder of this year. That schedule will include Russian supply launches using the Progress resupply vehicles in addition to Shuttle logistics and assembly missions.

The first shuttle flight after the arrival of the Zvezda was approved to take place within a month after the service module's arrival. That STS-106 crew will be commanded by Terry Wilcutt with Scott Altman serving as pilot. Mission specialists include Dan Burbank, Rick Mastracchio, Ed Lu, Yuri Malenchenko, and Boris Morukov.

The International Space Station is in an orbit of 237 by 226 statute miles. Since the launch of Zarya in 1998, the ISS has completed more than 7,227 orbits. S

While it has been determined that the crane cannot float out of its housing, and thus does not pose a safety issue to the ISS, the desire is to attempt to seat the crane properly in its housing, called a worksite interface. During the next visit of a shuttle crew to the ISS, astronauts Jim Voss and Jeff Williams will reseat the crane in its housing before moving on to other tasks.

Battery cycling on Zarya continues with power levels well within workable ranges. Currently, the Unity module power levels are 430 watts.

Meanwhile, Atlantis is nearing completion of processing for its first flight in a year and a half after undergoing significant upgrades. The orbiter's payload bay doors are scheduled to be closed Monday with rollover to the Vehicle Assembly Building set for March 13. Launch remains targeted for no earlier than April 13.

While vehicle processing continues, mission planners continue to work timelines for the crew that will perform stowage and maintenance tasks that will be carried out during the flight.

The International Space Station is in an orbit of 235 by 226 statute miles. Since the launch of Zarya in 1998, the ISS has completed more than 7,320 orbits.

Atlantis' STS-101 mission not only provides an early look by three of its crew members at their future home, but also sets the stage for the arrival of the Zvezda service module set to launch on a Russian Proton rocket in mid July from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Susan Helms, Jim Voss and cosmonaut Yuri Usachev will oversee maintenance tasks to restore the Zarya module's electrical power system to full capacity.

The three crew members were added to this mission for their unique abilities to step in on short notice to accomplish tasks for which they have already been training as the second crew to live alone next year on the ISS. Voss will join fellow crew member Jeff Williams in a space walk to replace a malfunctioning antenna on the Unity module and deliver additional components of a Russian crane to the outside of the station. The two astronauts also will check the current location of a small U.S. crane to ensure it is seated properly in its housing.

On orbit, the two components making up the International Space Station continue to operate in good health with electrical power management serving as the primary focus of flight controller attention. Zarya's automatic docking system that will be used to rendezvous and dock with Zvezda has been verified to be in good working condition following several tests over the course of the last few months. Kurs, as it's called, has two redundant systems and plans are being finalized as to which will serve as primary for the rendezvous and docking phase. Specific procedures are being developed as to the management of the station's power and communications systems during the final stages of the docking activities.

Earlier today in the California desert, an experimental spacecraft that is being considered for use as an emergency crew return vehicle from the ISS was tested for the fourth time. The X-38 was dropped from the wing of NASA's B-52 and touched down under the shadow of a huge parafoil. The next test of the craft at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center is scheduled this summer.

The ISS continues to operate with no major systems failures as it circles the Earth every 92 minutes in an orbit of 232 by 217 miles. The station has completed more than 7,760 orbits since Zarya was launched in November 1998.

Launch is set to occur at about 4:15 p.m. Eastern time to perform life-extension maintenance tasks on the Zarya module, and to deliver supplies to the inside and outside of the Station for use by future crews.

Commander Jim Halsell has resumed full training activities after spraining his ankle a couple weeks ago and practiced landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft last night. Joining Halsell on the mission are Pilot Scott Horowitz and Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, Jeff Williams, Jim Voss, Susan Helms and Yuri Usachev. The latter three will focus their attention during the docked phase of the flight on repairing some equipment inside their future home.

Awaiting Atlantis' arrival, the International Space Station continues to operate with no major systems problems. Its electrical power system is being strategically managed to maximize the power required by operating systems inside the Zarya and Unity modules.

Meanwhile, in Moscow, the second and third stage engines have been delivered for final inspection and installation into the Proton rocket that will carry the next component of the ISS - the Zvezda service module - to orbit. Zvezda's launch remains slated between July 8 and 14 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The current orbit of the ISS is 232 by 215 miles. The average decay of the Station's orbit is about 1-1 ½ miles per week. The altitude can be raised by using Zarya's thrusters, but will be unnecessary if Atlantis arrives later this month since the orbiter will perform an altitude reboost of the ISS before departing near the end of the flight. The ISS now has completed more than 7,860 orbits since Zarya was launched in November 1998.

Workers at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida have completed a swap-out of the power drive unit on the orbiter and will spend the next few days completing retests to verify the borrowed unit from Columbia is in good working order. At present there is no anticipated schedule impact to the April 24 launch.

Meanwhile, halfway around the world in Russia and Kazakhstan, work continues in preparation for Zvezda's launch atop a Proton launch vehicle. The Proton that will carry Zvezda into space currently is being assembled at its manufacturing plant at the Krunichev Space Center in Moscow. Its assembly is scheduled to be completed in mid May with delivery to the Baikonur Cosmodrome scheduled about two weeks later.

Awaiting the Proton's arrival at the launch site is the Zvezda service module, which will house life support systems, serve as the living quarters, and provide the ISS with command and control and reboost capability through the early assembly sequence. Zvezda's launch remains targeted to occur between July 8 and 14.

STS-101 will be commanded by Jim Halsell and piloted by Scott Horowitz. Joining them are Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, Jeff Williams, Jim Voss, Susan Helms and Yuri Usachev. The seven-member crew will undergo their final physicals and wrap up training activities at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, this week prior to entering quarantine on Monday. The crew will fly to Florida next Friday, April 21, for the final three days of preparations prior to launch.

The current orbit of the ISS is 231 by 214 miles (372 x 344 kilometers). The average decay of the Station's orbit is about 1-1½ miles per week. While docked, Atlantis' reaction control system thrusters will be used to raise the orbit of the station by as much as 19 miles (about 30 kilometers). The actual orbit raising distance is calculated to 'place' the ISS at an altitude conducive to the rendezvous with Zvezda in late July. As of midday today, the station has circled the Earth more than 7,970 times since November 1998.

Final processing of the Shuttle is underway with the seven-member scheduled to arrive in Florida tomorrow at 3 p.m. East Coast time. Their arrival will be shown live on NASA Television.

The countdown begins tomorrow at 7 p.m. EDT leading toward a launch at the opening of a five-minute window at 4:15 p.m. Eastern.

Meanwhile, the on orbit Station is completing the final battery cycling of its four usable systems and will be in a good configuration for docking by the Shuttle next Wednesday. All systems are in good shape to support the rendezvous, docking and maintenance work scheduled throughout the STS-101 mission.

In addition to completing battery cycling, controllers will warm up the Unity module's shell so that it will be at the proper temperature when the Shuttle arrives. That activity should be completed before Monday's Shuttle launch.

At the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, workers have completed electrical testing of the Zvezda service module, which is the next component of the ISS. Zvezda will be launched atop a Proton rocket in mid July. The ISS will dock with Zvezda about two weeks later near the end of July.

STS-101 will be commanded by Jim Halsell. Joining him on the crew are Pilot Scott Horowitz and Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, Jeff Williams, Jim Voss, Susan Helms and Yuri Usachev.

The current orbit of the ISS is 229 by 213 miles (368 x 342 kilometers). The average decay of the Station's orbit is about 1-1½ miles per week. While docked, Atlantis' reaction control system thrusters will be used to raise the orbit of the Station by as much as 19 miles (about 30 kilometers). The actual orbit raising distance is calculated to position the ISS at the desired rendezvous altitude with Zvezda. As of midday today, the Station has circled the Earth more than 8,095 times since November 1998.

On May 22 mission specialists Jeff Williams and James carried out external maintenance work on the ISS.

On May 23 at 00:03 GMT the Atlantis crew opened the first hatch to PMA-2 and entered the Station. The crew replaced a set of batteries in Zarya, installed fans and ducting to improve airflow, and delivered supplies and equipment. Three hour-long orbit raising burns on May 24 and 25 by the RCS engines on Atlantis raised the station to a 372 x 380 km x 51.6 deg orbit.

The STS-101 crew left the station on May 26, closing the PMA-2 hatch at 08:08 GMT and undocking at 23:03 GMT. Atlantis performed a 180 degree flyaround of the station and departed the vicinity around 23:44 GMT.

Atlantis closed its payload bay doors around 02:30 GMT on May 29 and fired the OMS engines for deorbit at 05:12 GMT. The vehicle landed on RW15 at Kennedy Space Center at 06:20 GMT. Atlantis was to be turned around for the next ISS shuttle flight, STS-106.

Left in orbit was the renovated International Space Station, equipped with an upgraded electrical system, new fans, filters, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and communications gear.

Riding aboard the upgraded and refurbished space Shuttle Atlantis, Commander Jim Halsell, Pilot Scott Horowitz and Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, Jeff Williams, Jim Voss, Susan Helms and Yury Usachev rocketed away from their Florida launch site at 5:11 a.m. Central time, a pre-dawn launch by Shuttle standards. Atlantis quickly rose into daylight as it raced up the Eastern seaboard in pursuit of the 76-foot long, 35-ton international station, which was flying over the Ukraine, southwest of Kiev.

The launch was Atlantis' first since September 1997. Atlantis recently underwent major modifications, including the introduction of a state-of-the-art, hi-tech glass cockpit filled with computer displays to replace the old cockpit dials and switches.

Atlantis launched on time after three delays last month caused by high winds at the launch site and at overseas emergency landing strips. Today, conditions were perfect. Atlantis is scheduled to link up to the space station at 11:31 p.m. Central time Saturday night (12:31 a.m. Eastern time Sunday morning).

Once on orbit, Atlantis' crew began to set up shuttle systems for the planned 10-day mission, preparing to open the ship's cargo bay doors, which will be followed by the activation of the double Spacehab module housed in the rear of the cargo bay, containing more than a ton of supplies the crew will transfer to the station.

The astronauts will begin their first eight-hour sleep period just five hours after liftoff, at 10:11 a.m. Central time, and will be awakened at 6:11 p.m. this evening to begin their first full day in orbit. Prior to the start of that sleep period, Halsell and Horowitz will fire Atlantis' maneuvering jets in the first of a series of maneuvers designed to put the shuttle on a precise course to the International Space Station.

After the first rendezvous maneuver, Atlantis will be circling the Earth in a slightly elliptical orbit of about 201 by 124 statute miles, inclined 51.6 degrees to either side of the equator.

Commander Jim Halsell, Pilot Scott Horowitz and Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, Jeff Williams, Jim Voss, Susan Helms and Yury Usachev will spend much of the day checking out orbiter systems and space walking equipment, while continuing to slowly close in on the station through a series of calculated rendezvous maneuvers.

The crew will examine and prepare the tools required to support rendezvous and docking operations as well as perform checks of the extravehicular mobility units, or space suits, that will be used by Williams and Voss during the planned space walk Sunday night into Monday morning. Both suits are checked far enough ahead of the space walk to ensure good working condition in plenty of time to allow for any required troubleshooting work by the specialists on the ground.

Also tonight and into tomorrow, Halsell will assist Weber in testing Atlantis' mechanical arm, checking its operation while conducting a video survey of the payload bay. This procedure will make certain the arm is functioning properly to support the space walk

Atlantis is currently in a highly elliptical orbit of 199 x 98 statute miles. At about 7 o'clock this evening, Central time, the shuttle was a little over 2,700 s.m. behind the station, closing in at a rate of about 546 s.m. every 90 minutes.

Atlantis' Commander Jim Halsell and Pilot Scott Horowitz tested the navigation equipment and flight controls they will use late tonight to rendezvous with and then dock to the station. They also fired Atlantis' engines periodically to adjust the rate at which the Shuttle is closing in on the station. Atlantis is 430 statute miles behind the station now, closing in 30 statute miles with each orbit of Earth. Atlantis will continue that closing rate throughout the day while the crew sleeps.

During an engine firing Friday evening using both large orbital maneuvering system (OMS) engines on Atlantis, flight controllers saw an indication that one of two propellant valves for the left OMS engine may have failed to close. The engine's backup valve did operate normally, and the engine remains in good operating condition. However, as a precaution, the left engine will not be used again until Atlantis is ready to deorbit at the completion of the flight. Controllers are continuing to analyze the information and are uncertain if the valve actually did not operate properly or whether the indication may have been an errant sensor reading. The right OMS engine alone can be used for large rendezvous engine firings with no impact on the mission.

Astronauts Jeff Williams and Jim Voss checked the spacesuits and equipment they will use during the upcoming spacewalk, finding them in good shape. Three suits -- one for Williams, one for Voss and a spare, which could be used by either -- were checked out aboard Atlantis. Williams and Voss were assisted in the checks by Horowitz, who will coordinate the spacewalk activities from within the cabin. Later, fellow crew member Mary Ellen Weber successfully tested the Shuttle's robotic arm. Weber will operate the arm during the spacewalk to maneuver Williams and Voss between Atlantis and the station. Weber uncradled the arm this morning and used it to survey the Shuttle's payload bay. Later, Weber powered on the docking system Atlantis will use to attach to the station and extended the system's docking ring. The ring latches onto the station when the Shuttle makes contact and is then retracted to secure the two spacecraft together.

The crew will begin a sleep period at 8:11 a.m. and awaken at 4:11 p.m.. At 8:39 p.m., with Atlantis trailing the International Space Station by about 50,000 feet, Halsell will fire the Shuttle's engines to initiate the final phase of the rendezvous. Just before 10 p.m., as Atlantis reaches a point about a half-mile below the station, Halsell will take over manual control of the approach. He will reach a distance of about 170 feet from the station at 10:39 p.m. Docking is expected at about 11:31 p.m. Atlantis is in an orbit with a high point of 204 miles and a low point of 199 miles, circling Earth every 90 minutes.

As of about 6:30 p.m. this evening, the Shuttle trailed the station by about 70 nautical miles and was closing in by about 14 nautical miles with each orbit of Earth. The final phase of rendezvous will begin when Atlantis reaches a point about eight nautical miles directly behind the station and fires its engines in a terminal phase initiation burn at 8:39 p.m. Central.

The TI burn, as it is called, will put the Shuttle on a course directly toward the station during the next orbit of Earth. As Atlantis moves within about a half-mile of the station, Halsell will take over manual control of the Shuttle's approach, flying the Shuttle from controls in the aft cockpit. Atlantis will arrive at a point about 600 feet directly below the station about 10:09 p.m. Central, and Halsell then will begin a half-circle of the orbiting outpost. Atlantis will pass about 350 feet in front of the station and then move to a point about 250 feet directly above it about 10:34 p.m. Central.

Halsell will then begin to descend toward the station and, at about 10:38 p.m. Central, hold position at a point about 170 feet away. Halsell will maintain that distance for about 20 minutes to allow the station to move within range of Russian ground communications stations before continuing the approach. At 11:20 p.m., Halsell will hold position again briefly at a point about 30 feet from the station to ensure the Shuttle and station docking mechanisms are precisely aligned. Docking is expected about 11 minutes later with the Shuttle contacting the station at a slow rate of about a tenth of a foot per second.

During the rendezvous, Pilot Scott Horowitz will assist Halsell in controlling Atlantis' approach. Mission Specialists Susan Helms and Yury Usachev also will assist with the rendezvous and docking, with Mary Ellen Weber and Jeff Williams operating the Shuttle's docking mechanism.

After docking, a hatch leak check will be performed and the astronauts will review plans for Sunday night's scheduled space walk by Williams and Jim Voss. Atlantis' crew will not open the hatch to the Unity module and enter the station until Monday evening, 24 hours after the space walk is completed.

Mission Specialists Jeff Williams and Jim Voss will have several tasks as part of the planned six and a half hour extravehicular activity, or EVA, this evening. They will inspect and then secure a U.S.-built cargo crane known as the Orbital replacement unit Transfer Device that originally was installed during a space walk on the STS-96 mission in June 1999. Williams and Voss then will complete assembly of a Russian cargo crane called Strela (Russian for "arrow") that was begun on a space walk during STS-96. Strela will be placed on the Pressurized Mating Adapter-1 that connects the Unity node to the Zarya control module in the same vicinity as the American crane.

The two space walkers then will turn their attention to replacing one of Unity's two early communication antennas. That antenna has been experiencing some problems. Williams and Voss then will move on to their final EVA task with the installation of eight handrails on the station's exterior. This is part of some get ahead work for two upcoming assembly flights -- STS-92 in late September and STS-97 in January 2001. The STS-92 crew will install the Z-1 truss structure, and the STS-97 crew will deliver the U.S. Laboratory module. If all activities go as planned, the space walk should conclude about 3:45 a.m. CDT. Monday. During tonight's EVA activity, Williams will be identifiable by red stripes on the arms and legs of his spacesuit while Voss' spacesuit will be solid white. Tonight's EVA will mark the 85th space walk in U.S. history and the fifth dedicated to assembly of the International Space Station. To date, Shuttle astronauts have performed almost 300 hours of EVAs (297 hours, 53 minutes). The duration of the four previous station assembly space walks is 29 hours, 17 minutes.

Atlantis is operating well with flight controllers reporting no problems of significance for any of the mission's activities. The shuttle and station are docked in an orbit with a high point of 209 statute miles and a low point of 203 statute miles, circling Earth every 91 minutes.

Halsell and his crew performed the rendezvous and docking with the station by the book, docking on target at 11:31 p.m. CDT Saturday. Although Atlantis is now firmly attached to the station, the astronauts will not enter the new outpost until Monday, turning their immediate attention instead to a six and half-hour spacewalk to begin late tonight.

Astronauts Jim Voss and Jeff Williams will perform tonight's spacewalk to install the final part of a Russian-built crane on the station's exterior; replace a faulty communications antenna; and install various cables and handrails. Following the docking, Voss and Williams spent several hours this morning preparing the tools and equipment they will use for the sojourn outside and double-checking the spacewalk plans with the rest of the crew.

The crew also lowered the air pressure inside Atlantis from the standard sea-level pressure of 14.7 pounds per square inch to 10.2 pounds per square inch, a pressure equivalent to that felt at an altitude of 10,000 feet on Earth. The lower cabin pressure helps Voss and Williams purge nitrogen from their bodies to avoid decompression sickness when they go to the 4.2 pounds per square inch, pure oxygen atmosphere of the spacesuits this evening.

The International Space Station remains in good condition, ready for the crew to enter on Monday to start several days of maintenance and unloading of supplies. As the crew's waking hours wound down early this morning, Mary Ellen Weber, who will oversee much of the transfer of equipment, and Halsell made some early preparations of the docking system for the eventual entry into the station.

The crew will begin a sleep period at 8:11 a.m. and awaken at 4:11 p.m. for a fourth day in space, a day devoted to the spacewalk. Voss and Williams are planned to begin donning their gear and suits at 6:11 p.m., leading to a predicted exit from Atlantis' airlock hatch at 9:31 p.m. During the spacewalk, Williams' suit will be distinguishable from Voss' suit by red stripes around the legs. The astronauts are scheduled to conclude the spacewalk at 4:01 a.m. Monday.

Atlantis is operating well with flight controllers reporting no problems of significance for any of the mission's activities. The shuttle and station are in an orbit with a high point of 209 statute miles and a low point of 203 statute miles, circling Earth every 91 minutes.

Commander Jim Halsell and his crew have begun to open the various hatches between the two spacecraft in a process that will take about two hours to complete. A total of five different hatches will be opened during the crew's ingress into various parts of the station. The first hatch to be opened will be on Pressurized Mating Adapter-2 (PMA-2) which joins the Shuttle's docking mechanism to the Unity module. Next will be the hatch leading to the interior of the Unity node. Third in line will be the PMA-1 hatch at the opposite end of Unity. Next will be the hatch leading into the Zarya control module. The fifth and final hatch to be opened will be the instrumentation cargo compartment in the rear portion of Zarya.

The first two individuals to enter the station will be Mission Specialists Yury Usachev and Susan Helms, who will be getting a sneak preview of their future orbiting home. Usachev, Helms and fellow STS-101 crewmember Jim Voss will become the second expedition crew to inhabit the station.

The first actions by the crew upon entering the station will be to collect air quality samples in Unity and Zarya for comparison with a sample from Atlantis. They also will measure air-circulation velocity and monitor carbon dioxide levels. Upon completion of those tasks, the crew members will break out their tools and rework some of the air ducts in Zarya to improve airflow. They will re-route some ducts, strengthen others, add new acoustic mufflers where required, and they'll swap out the contaminant filter in Zarya and the charcoal filter in Unity.

Once they determine that there has been a sufficient improvement in air circulation, the crew members will turn their attention to maintenance issues and cargo transfers. The main task for this evening will be the replacement of two of the batteries on the station. Problems with performance of at least two of Zarya's six "800A" storage batteries led to a decision to replace four batteries during STS-101 docked operations. The third battery will be replaced tomorrow and the fourth on Wednesday.

Atlantis' crew will replace the four suspect, 163-pound batteries -Numbers 1, 2, 3 and 5 - as well as three of their 34-pound current converters and two of their 10-pound current converter controllers. The batteries on the station collect energy during the daytime portion of the Station's orbit and provide power at night.

The replacement of the station batteries is a well choreographed procedure that has been refined during pre-flight training activities in NASA and Russia training facilities. Of the six batteries onboard the station, a minimum of four batteries will always remain online and available to support station systems.

In addition to replacing the batteries on the station, other maintenance activities planned during docked operations include replacing three fire extinguishers that have reached the end of their design life, 10 smoke detectors and four cooling fans.

The Atlantis and the station both continue to operate well with flight controllers reporting no problems of significance for any of the mission's activities. The shuttle and station are docked in an orbit with a high point of 209 statute miles and a low point of 203 statute miles, circling Earth every 91 minutes.

Voss and Williams started the spacewalk early and remained ahead of schedule throughout. The astronauts secured a United States-built crane that was installed on the station last year; installed the final parts of a Russian-built crane on the station; replaced a faulty antenna for one of the station's communications systems; and installed several handrails and a camera cable on the station's exterior. The six-hour, 44-minute spacewalk began at 8:48 p.m. CDT Sunday and was completed at 3:32 a.m. CDT today. Assisting with the activities from inside Atlantis' cabin was Pilot Scott Horowitz while Mission Specialist Mary Ellen Weber operated the Shuttle's robotic arm, which she used to maneuver Voss during much of the spacewalk.

The extravehicular activity conducted by Voss and Williams marks the fifth spacewalk conducted for construction of the International Space Station; the 49th spacewalk based out of the Space Shuttle; and the 85th spacewalk in history conducted by U.S. astronauts.

The crew's attention now turns to entering the station, a process planned to begin at 7:11 p.m. today. The astronauts will open a total of six hatches as they move through the station's compartments. The first hatch into the station's Unity connecting module will be opened about 7:56 p.m. and the first hatch into the Zarya module will be opened about 9:11 p.m. Once inside the station, the crew will begin transferring equipment and performing maintenance work immediately. Replacement of four batteries in the Zarya will begin about 11:31 p.m., with astronaut Susan Helms and cosmonaut Yury Usachev scheduled to install two new batteries and their associated electronics. Helms and Usachev will install the remaining two replacement batteries later during the docked phase of the flight.

The crew plans to go to sleep at about 8 this morning and will be awakened by Mission Control at 3:56 p.m., with the focus of work this evening being the first entry into the station. Atlantis and the International Space Station remain in good condition orbiting Earth each 91 minutes with a high point of 209 statute miles and a low point of 203 statute miles.

Astronaut Susan Helms and Cosmonaut Yury Usachev were the first crew members to enter the station as they opened the first of five station hatches at 7:03 p.m. CDT Monday. Helms and Usachev then opened the hatch into the station's Unity connecting module a half-hour later and were quickly joined by Astronaut Jim Voss. Voss, Helms and Usachev are scheduled to live aboard the station for more than four months next year as the second resident station crew. Helms and Usachev next entered the Zarya module at 7:53 p.m. CDT and opened the final station hatch, accessing Zarya's main compartment, at 7:58 p.m. The crew went to work in the modules immediately, placing ducting throughout the station to improve air circulation and prevent problems with stale air that were experienced during a mission last year. Because of problems reported by the crew of that previous mission, STS-96 in May 1999, the ducting was modified for this flight and Atlantis' crew has reported no problems with air circulation.

Maintaining a pace hours ahead of schedule, Helms and Usachev replaced two of six batteries in the Zarya module along with some associated battery-charging electronics. Two additional fresh batteries will be installed on successive days of the mission. This morning, station controllers in Moscow have begun charging the first of the two newly installed batteries, finding it functioning perfectly thus far. The crew also installed three fresh fire extinguishers in Zarya, replacing three that were nearing the end of their design life. Inside the Unity module, Pilot Scott Horowitz and Mission Specialist Jim Voss replaced a power distribution box for a United States-built communications system. The crew also inspected the station for signs of condensation or mold, finding all areas clean and dry.

Aboard Atlantis, Mission Specialist Mary Ellen Weber readied more than a ton of supplies -- ranging from sewing kits and trash bags to an exercise treadmill and IMAX film camera -- for transfer to the station beginning this evening. The crew also began filling several water containers that will be left aboard the station as well to await future resident station astronauts.

The crew will begin a sleep period at 7:41 a.m. CDT and awaken for Day 6 of the mission at 3:41 p.m. CDT. This evening, Commander Jim Halsell will fire Atlantis' steering jets 27 times over an hour to boost the average altitude of the station by about nine statute miles. A similar process will be repeated twice more later in the mission to increase the station's average altitude by a total of about 27 statute miles before Atlantis departs. The higher altitude will aim the International Space Station toward the optimum orbit for a link up with the Russian Zvezda living quarters module planned for launch in July.

The Atlantis and station complex are now in an orbit with a high point of 208 statute miles and a low point of 204 statute miles, circling Earth each 91 minutes.

Halsell along with Pilot Scott Horowitz and Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, Jeff Williams, Susan Helms, Jim Voss and Yury Usachev will spend their second day inside the station as they continue the maintenance work and supply transfer activities that began yesterday. During their first day, Atlantis' crew moved 870 pounds of supplies and equipment inside the station. That material along with the 326 pounds of equipment attached to the exterior of the station by Williams and Voss during their space walk means almost 1,200 pounds of gear already have been transferred to the station. A total of 3,381 pounds of equipment and provisions will be transferred to the station before Atlantis undocks.

Maintenance work on Flight Day Six will include the third of four planned replacements of station batteries. Helms and Usachev will repeat the procedures they followed yesterday when the first two batteries were replaced. One of the batteries replaced yesterday already has been recharged and been pronounced in excellent condition. The second replacement battery will go through its charging and checkout shortly. All of the battery replacement work is carefully designed so that at least four batteries are always online and available to support station operations.

Other maintenance work on schedule today includes the installation of new smoke detectors, and replacement of fire extinguishers that are nearing the end of their design life.

The first of three planned station reboost maneuvers is scheduled to take place tonight at 7:01 p.m. CDT. The maneuver will see Atlantis' steering jets fire 27 times over a 58 minute period to boost the average altitude of the station by about nine statute miles. A similar process will be repeated tomorrow and again on Thursday to increase the station's average altitude by a total of about 27 statute miles before Atlantis departs. The higher altitude will aim the International Space Station toward the optimum orbit for a link up with the Russian Zvezda living quarters module planned for launch in July.

Late this evening, Halsell, Williams and Voss will take a few minutes to conduct a trio of interviews with reporters from the Cable News Network, Armed Forces Television and Space.Com. The interviews are scheduled to begin at 11:41 p.m. CDT.

The Atlantis and station complex continues to operate in fine fashion orbiting the Earth once every 91 minutes.

Halsell, Horowitz and Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, Jeff Williams, Susan Helms, Jim Voss and Yury Usachev will spend their third day inside the station continuing the maintenance work and supply transfer activities that began Monday evening. During their first two days inside the station, the astronauts have moved more than a ton (2,049 pounds) of supplies and equipment inside the facility to be used by the first station crew. More than 3,000 pounds will be transferred to the station before Atlantis undocks on Friday evening.

Helms and Usachev already have completed the replacement of the fourth and final battery. The second battery replaced on Monday evening is fully recharged and working well as it supports station operations. The third battery, which was replaced last night, has begun its 20-hour charging process. All of the battery work is designed so that at least four of the station's six batteries are available to support station systems.

Other work on tap for this evening includes the replacement of a Zarya radio telemetry system which has reached the end of its design life. The radio telemetry system collects and stores station data when ground station communications are not available. The crew also will fill four large water bags and transfer the bags to the station to join seven similar bags left during the STS-96 mission last year. The water bags will be part of the potable water supply used by the first station crew when it arrives later this year.

Tonight also will see the second of three planned reboost maneuvers to raise the station's altitude. The one-hour procedure will involve 27 pulse firings of Atlantis's maneuvering thrusters. The three reboosts will raise the station to a new altitude about 237.5 x 227 statue miles and will place the station in the optimum altitude for the arrival of the Zvezda Service Module when it is launched in July.

Shuttle and station managers have decided to move the undocking time to one orbit later. The new undocking time is now 6:07 p.m. CDT on Friday, May 26th and will happen while the two spacecraft are over Russian ground stations. The later undocking will allow the crew to get a full eight-hour sleep period. Atlantis will make shortened fly around, one half revolution of the station, before leaving the vicinity of the station. The later undocking will have no impact to Atlantis' landing at Kennedy Space Center which still is planned for 1:18 a.m. CDT Monday, May 29th.

Later this evening at 10:11 p.m. CDT, Halsell, Horowitz and Helms will participate in a trio of interviews with the ABC Radio Network, KOIN-TV in Portland, Oregon, and a webcast education event for the Housing and Urban Development agency.

The Atlantis and station complex continues to operate well, completing one orbit of the Earth every 91 minutes.

Late Wednesday, Astronauts Susan Helms and Jim Voss along with Cosmonaut Yury Usachev completed the installation of a fourth and final fresh battery in the station. Station flight controllers in Russia have completed charging two of the newly installed batteries and they are operating perfectly. The third new battery is currently undergoing a 20-hour charging process, although controllers did note some apparently irregular readings in data during the early portions of the charging activity. However, after further analysis, controllers now believe the irregular information was likely a ground communications problem and that the battery is in excellent condition. Charging of the fourth new battery will begin later today and be completed before Atlantis undocks from the station on Friday.

Later, Voss and Williams installed several new storage compartments behind panels in the Zarya module. Helms and Usachev also installed a new Radio Telemetry System in the module, a memory unit that can store data onboard when the station is not in communications with the ground. The new memory unit replaces one that was nearing the end of its planned operational lifetime.

Commander Jim Halsell and Pilot Scott Horowitz fired Atlantis' steering jets to perform the second part of a three-day maneuver that is raising the station's orbit. Atlantis' jets were fired 27 times over the course of almost an hour to raise the Atlantis-station complex's average altitude by about nine miles. The third and final orbit-raising activity is planned tonight and will leave the station about 27 miles higher than when Atlantis arrived, in an optimum orbit to await the launch of a station living quarters module by Russia in July.

The crew has transferred more than a ton of gear -- ranging from sewing kits to clothing -- to the station to await use by the first resident crew. Among the items transferred this morning were a stationary bicycle ergometer as well as four 12-gallon bags of drinking water. Tonight, the crew will wrap up the transfer of equipment to the station with plans in place to unload a total of more than 3,000 pounds of gear by the time Atlantis leaves. Halsell, Horowitz and Mary Ellen Weber will take a brief break from their activities at 9:11 p.m. CDT for an interview by CBS News, Fox News and KTBS-TV of Shreveport, LA.

The crew will begin a sleep period at 7:11 a.m. CDT and awaken at 3:11 p.m. to begin the eighth day of the mission. Atlantis is scheduled to undock from the station at 6:07 p.m. CDT Friday and land at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 1:18 a.m. CDT Monday.

The Atlantis-International Space Station complex is now in an orbit with an altitude of about 225 miles, circling Earth every 91 minutes.

The main task of the day will be completing the transfer of gear and supplies to the station. In the first three days of transfer activities, the crew has moved more than 3,000 pounds of material onto the station.

The third and final reboost maneuver began a few minutes ago at 6:36 p.m. CDT. Like the two previous reboosts, Atlantis' reaction control system jets will be fired 27 times over a 58 minute period to gently raise the station. At the end of tonight's reboost, it is expected that the station's average altitude will have been raised by 27 statue miles.

The astronauts have completed all battery work on the station. The third battery that was replaced has completed its recharging and testing and has been put back online supporting station operations. The fourth and final new battery will begin its recharge later this evening and will be back online before Atlantis undocks tomorrow evening.

Shortly before they begin exiting the station for the final time, Halsell, Horowitz and Weber will take a few minutes to conduct a trio of interviews with three news organizations -- CBS Newspath, Fox News Network and KTBS-TV in Shreveport, LA -- starting at 9:11 p.m. CDT.

Just before 11:30 p.m., Halsell and his crew will reverse the steps they used when they entered the station Monday evening, closing each of the five hatches associated with station components or transfer tunnels. The overall process of closing out the station and preparing for undocking is expected to take about two hours to complete.

Everything remains on schedule for undocking on Friday evening at 6:07 p.m. CDT. Atlantis will perform a one half revolution of the station, before the final separation burn is initiated. Atlantis remains on track for a landing back at Kennedy Space Center at 1:18 a.m. CDT on Monday, May 29th.

Undocking occurred at 6:03 p.m. Central time, as Pilot Scott Horowitz slowly backed Atlantis away from the space station and then flew a half-circle around the station, before firing Atlantis' jets in a final separation burn at 6:41 p.m. Atlantis' crew leaves behind a refurbished and rejuvenated space station with four new batteries, 10 new smoke detectors, and four new cooling fans in the Zarya module, a revamped communications system in the Unity module and 1 ½ tons of other supplies, including clothing and water.

Now flying solo, the seven-member Atlantis crew will enjoy several hours of off-duty time tonight in recognition of the ambitious pace of work they maintained throughout this flight. Commander Jim Halsell, Horowitz, and Mission Specialists Jeff Williams, Mary Ellen Weber, Jim Voss, Susan Helms and Yury Usachev will power down some of the equipment used during today's undocking and flyaround, and then will perform some routine housekeeping tasks before beginning their scheduled off duty time.

Toward the end of the crew's day, Usachev will take some time to talk with Russian media gathered at the Russian Mission Control Center just outside of Moscow in an event scheduled at 4:26 a.m. Central time Saturday morning. Usachev, along with crewmates Voss and Helms, will visit the station again next year to spend more than four months on board as the second resident crew scheduled to live on board.

The station is now in the optimum orbit to await the arrival of the next major station component -- a Russian-built living quarters that will launch in July -- flying in an orbit with a high point of 238 miles and a low point of 230 miles, circling the Earth every 92 minutes.

"I couldn't be happier with the way this mission has gone," Lead Flight Director Phil Engelauf said. "Our accomplishments are at more than 100 percent for the flight."

"The crew will be leaving a pristine International Space Station behind them," added Paul Hill, Lead Station Flight Director.

Highlights of the crew's work aboard the station included the installation of four new batteries and associated electronics; 10 new smoke detectors in the Zarya module; four new cooling fans; additional cables for the Zarya computer to enhance its capabilities; a new communications memory unit; and a new power distribution box for the United States-built backup communications system. A new communications antenna, the final parts of a Russian crane, and various cabling and handholds were installed on the station's exterior by Astronauts Jeff Williams and Jim Voss during a six-hour, 44-minute spacewalk. All of the new equipment has been checked out and is in excellent condition.

The crew unloaded over 3,300 pounds of gear from Atlantis. Subtracting equipment removed from the station and stowed on Atlantis, the net change in mass for the station is about one additional ton. Along with the new electrical equipment installed, the crew also stowed supplies for future crews aboard the station, including about 48 gallons of water in four 12-gallon bags; a treadmill, exercise bicycle ergometer, and resistive exercise device; and sewing kits, trash bags, clothes, tools, books, note pads and can openers, among other items. Overseeing the unloading and stowing of supplies was Astronaut Mary Ellen Weber. Also, Commander Jim Halsell and Pilot Scott Horowitz fired Atlantis' steering jets in gentle, hour-long maneuvers during each of the past three days to raise the station's orbital altitude by 27 miles. The station is now in the optimum orbit to await the arrival of the next major station component -- a Russian-built living quarters that will launch in July.

Astronaut Susan Helms and Cosmonaut Yury Usachev began backing out of the station -- closing five hatches behind them -- by closing a hatch to the Zarya module's main compartment at 12:23 a.m. CDT. The final hatch to the station was shut at 3:04 a.m. CDT as the orbiting complex flew about 234 miles above the Red Sea. Helms, Usachev and Voss will again visit the station next year to spend more than four months as the second crew to live aboard. In total, the astronauts on Atlantis spent three days, eight hours and one minute with the hatches open to the station during the mission.

Atlantis' undocking from the International Space Station is planned for 6:03 p.m. CDT, followed by a half-loop flyaround of the station - from above to underneath - before firing its jets for the final separation. Atlantis and the station are in an orbit with a high point of 238 miles and a low point of 230 miles, circling Earth every 92 minutes.

Shortly after 7 p.m. today, Commander Jim Halsell, Pilot Scott Horowitz and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams successfully test fired Atlantis' steering jets and verified the performance of the various aerosurfaces that will be used during Atlantis' high-speed return to Earth. This checkout of Atlantis' flight control surfaces and systems is a routine activity on the day prior to landing to verify that all required systems are operating as expected. The tests were monitored by Entry flight director John Shannon from Mission Control in Houston.

As Halsell, Horowitz and Williams conducted their work from the flight deck, crewmates Mary Ellen Weber, Jim Voss, Susan Helms and Yury Usachev continued stowing away equipment used over the past nine days on orbit. Throughout the five days of docked operations with the International Space Station, the Spacehab module in Atlantis' payload bay served as a way station for more than 3,000 pounds of material transferred between the two vehicles. As the astronauts prepare for their Memorial Day landing, they will ensure that equipment housed in that module -- and in Atlantis' crew cabin -- is properly stowed and secured in place.

Midway through the crew day -- about 11 p.m. -- the astronauts will gather for a final review of entry and landing procedures, and then will continue their stowage activities. Williams and Voss, who conducted a 6 1/2 hour space walk earlier in the mission, also will pack up and stow away their spacesuits and associated hardware.

The crew will take time from tonight's entry preparations to talk with reporters located at the Johnson Space Center in Texas, the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the Russian Mission Control Center outside of Moscow in an interview scheduled to begin at 10:41 p.m.

Preliminary weather forecasts for Monday morning's landing indicate a slight possibility of rain within 30 miles of the landing site, and cross winds in excess of acceptable limits. The weather forecasts will be refined over the course of the next 24 hours in preparation for landing. For a 1:20 a.m. Central time landing at KSC, Atlantis' orbital maneuvering system engines would be fired in a deorbit burn at 12:13 a.m. In the event weather precludes a landing on the first opportunity, a second opportunity exists for a landing in Florida on the next orbit, with a deorbit burn at 1:50 a.m. resulting in a 2:56 a.m. landing.

Commander Jim Halsell flew Atlantis to a nighttime touchdown at the Florida spaceport at 1:20 a.m. Central time to complete a 4,076,000 mile mission, the second Shuttle flight of the year. It was the 14th nighttime landing in Shuttle history and the 22nd consecutive mission to end with a landing at KSC. Halsell was joined on Atlantis' flight deck by Pilot Scott Horowitz, Flight Engineer Jeff Williams and Mission Specialist Mary Ellen Weber. Crewmates Susan Helms, Jim Voss and Yury Usachev were seated down on the orbiter's middeck for entry and landing.

Atlantis returned to Earth after Flight Director John Shannon determined that crosswinds at the Kennedy Space Center's three-mile long landing strip were gentle and steady, enabling him to give the astronauts the green light to come home on time. Halsell fired the Shuttle's braking rockets at 12:12 a.m. Central time, allowing Atlantis to drop out of orbit for its high-speed descent. Atlantis passed over southern Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico before crossing over the Sarasota / Ft. Myers area of Florida en route to the Cape. Atlantis broke the quiet of the pre-dawn hours in Central Florida with a double sonic boom just minutes before touchdown, heralding its arrival at the landing site as it went subsonic.

Left in orbit is the renovated International Space Station, equipped with an upgraded electrical system, new fans, filters, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and communications gear. ISS flight controllers report that the complex is functioning in excellent condition. The Station is orbiting at an altitude of about 238 statute miles, awaiting the arrival of its next component, the Russian Service Module "Zvezda", which is scheduled to be launched on a modified Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in July. The ISS will automatically rendezvous and dock with "Zvezda" about two weeks after the new module is placed in orbit.

Atlantis will now be processed for the next Shuttle flight in early September to return to the International Space Station with another crew for the outfitting and supply of the newly arrived Service Module. That flight, STS-106, will be led by veteran Commander Terry Wilcutt.

The STS-101 astronauts will spend Memorial Day relaxing with their families in Florida before returning to Houston Tuesday afternoon at around 1:30 p.m. Central time for a welcoming ceremony at Ellington Field near the Johnson Space Center. JSC employees and families are invited to attend the ceremony.

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

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

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

The International Space Station continues to orbit the Earth in excellent shape at an altitude of 235 statute miles.

Discovery was launched on mission STS-102 (Space Station flight 5A.1) into an initial 60 x 222 km x 51.6 deg orbit. The mission was delivery of supplies and equipment, and changeout of the Expedition One and Expedition Two station crews. STS-102 carried the Leonardo Multi Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), built by Alenia Spazio (Torino), to the International Space Station. The 6.4 m x 4.6 m cylindrical MPLM was a descendant of the Spacelab long modules. Also carried was a Spacehab/Energia unpressurized Integrated Cargo Carrier with LCA/MTSAS-A, RU, and PFCS. A sidewall adapter beam with two GAS canisters (G-783 and WSVFM) was also on board. WSVFM measured vibration during launch. Another adapter beam, probably at the rear of the payload bay, carried SEM-9. SEM-9 and G-783 contained high school microgravity experiments.

Leonardo carried 16 'racks' of equipment, including the Human Research Facility Rack (Rack 13) which allowed the astronauts to do extensive medical experiments, the CHeCS Rack (28), the DDCU-1 and DDCU-2 racks (7 and 9), the Avionics-3 (Rack 6), and the MSS Avionics/Lab (Rack 11) and Avionics/Cupola (Rack 12) racks for a total of 7 equipment racks to be installed on Destiny. Three Resupply Stowage Racks (50, 51, 52) and four Resupply Stowage Platforms (180, 181, 182 and 188) remained installed on Leonardo, with their equipment bags being individually transferred to the Station. System Racks 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8 were already on Destiny together with stowage racks 110 through 117. Each rack had a mass of 150-300 kg.

The orbiter fired its OMS engines at 1221 GMT to raise the orbit to 185 x 219 km. Discovery docked with the PMA-2 port on the Station at 0639 GMT on March 10. The LCA (Lab Cradle Assembly) was attached to Destiny's +Z side during an EVA. It was to be used on the next mission to temporarily place a Spacelab pallet on Destiny during installation of the Station's robot arm. Later, it would be the site for the main Station truss, beginning with segment S0.

The PMA-3, on Unity at the -Z nadir position, had to be moved to the port position to make room for Leonardo. An external stowage platform was attached to Destiny and the External Stowage Platform and the PFCS Pump Flow Control System were added to the port aft trunnion on Destiny. A rigid umbilical (RU) was connected to the PDGF grapple fixture on Destiny to support the Station's future robot arm. Leonardo was docked to Unity at -Z for a while so that its cargo could be transferred to the station easily; it was then be returned to the payload bay and brought back to earth.

At 0232 GMT on March 19 command of ISS was transferred to Expedition 2 and the hatches were closed. Discovery undocked at 0432 GMT and flew once around the station before departing at 0548 GMT. ISS mass after undocking was 115527 kg. The OMS engines fired for the deorbit burn at 0625 GMT on March 21, and Discovery touched down on runway 15 at Kennedy Space Center at 0731 GMT.

Commander Jim Wetherbee, Pilot Jim Kelly and Mission Specialists Andy Thomas, Paul Richards, Yury Usachev, Jim Voss and Susan Helms rocketed away from Launch Pad 39-B at 5:42 a.m. Central time, lighting up the crystal clear central Florida skies as they began their pursuit of the international complex. Usachev, Voss and Helms, who make up the second Expeditionary crew to the ISS, will replace Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev, who were in their 128th day in space and their 126th day aboard the Station as Discovery began its pursuit.

At the time of launch, the three Expedition One crewmembers aboard the ISS were passing over the south Pacific, about 1000 statute miles south of Perth, Australia. Shortly after Discovery reached orbit, a videotape of the Shuttle launch was uplinked to the Station crew on a laptop computer onboard.

Less than nine minutes after liftoff, Discovery's astronauts settled into orbit and went to work to prepare the Shuttle's systems for their planned 12-day mission. The first major task on the flight plan was to open Discovery's cargo bay doors prior to receiving a "go" for orbital operations from Ascent Flight Director Wayne Hale. The astronauts are expected to set up computers and flight deck gear before beginning an eight-hour sleep period at 10:42 a.m. Central time. The Shuttle crew will be awakened at 6:42 p.m. Thursday to begin its first full day in space.

With this morning's successful launch behind them, Discovery's astronauts will turn their attention to their chase of the International Space Station, performing several firings of the ship's jet thrusters over the next 40 hours to set up a docking with the outpost on Friday night just before midnight Central time. Over the ensuing week, the crew will perform two space walks outside the ISS as they help to outfit the recently installed Destiny research laboratory. The Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, built by the Italian Space Agency, will be attached to the ISS early next week, loaded with almost five tons of equipment, and systems and science racks for transfer to Destiny.

The Expedition crews will exchange places on the ISS in a three-step fashion, beginning with Usachev and Gidzenko swapping roles as Station and Shuttle crewmembers early Saturday within hours after docking.

Discovery is circling the Earth in excellent shape as it flies in an orbit inclined 51.6 degrees to either side of the Equator. The International Space Station continues to sail around the Earth with no significant systems issues being tracked by ISS flight controllers.

In preparation for that rendezvous and docking, Discovery's crew was awakened at 6:42 p.m. Thursday to begin its first full day on orbit. The wakeup song from Mission Control was "Living The Life" by the Rockit Scientists, a group of training division instructors with whom shuttle Commander Jim Wetherbee plays drums from time to time.

After wakeup, the crew of four shuttle and three station expedition crewmembers got busy checking out systems and equipment to assist with mission objectives, including the robotic arm, the two spacesuits that will be worn for the first Extravehicular Activity (EVA), and the rendezvous tools to assist with the final hours of Discovery's approach and docking to the station.

The STS-102 crew is made up of Wetherbee, Pilot Jim Kelly, Flight Engineer Paul Richards and Mission Specialist Andy Thomas. The Expedition Two crew consists of Russian Commander Yury Usachev, and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms.

Usachev, Voss and Helms, will replace Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev, who shortly will wrap up a 4-½ month stay aboard the station and return home aboard Discovery.

With a docking test behind it, the Expedition One crew turns its attention to final stowage in preparation for Discovery's arrival.

After Friday's late night docking, the astronauts will perform two space walks outside the ISS to continue the process of outfitting the Destiny research laboratory. The Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, built by the Italian Space Agency, will be attached to the ISS late Sunday. It is filled with nearly five tons of equipment, including systems and science racks that will be transferred to Destiny.

The Expedition crews will exchange places on the ISS in a three-step fashion, beginning with Usachev and Gidzenko, who will swap places as Station and Shuttle crewmembers early Saturday within hours after docking.

As of 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Discovery trailed the station by about 7,000 miles, closing that distance at a rate of 700 miles each orbit of the Earth, or every 90 minutes. Simultaneously, the ISS is in good shape and ready to support the shuttle's arrival Friday.

The shuttle crew was awakened with the Russian song "Vashe Blagorodiye," a song from a movie entitled "White Sun of the Desert" that is traditionally watched by cosmonauts the night before a launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The song was played for Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev, who is spending his last day aboard Discovery before beginning a handover of station command with Expedition One crewmember Yuri Gidzenko.

All activities are on track for a docking of Discovery to the station at 11:34 p.m. The final phase of Discovery's rendezvous with the station was to begin with a Terminal Initiation (TI) engine firing by the shuttle at 9:13 p.m. with Discovery about 50,000 feet behind the station. The TI burn puts the shuttle on course to intercept the station during the next orbit of Earth. At about 10:30 p.m., as Discovery reaches a point about a half-mile below the complex, Commander Jim Wetherbee will take over manual control of the approach. Wetherbee will fly Discovery to a position about 300 feet in front of the station, then move in toward a docking port attached to the end of the station's Destiny Laboratory.

During the docking, Pilot Jim Kelly will help control Discovery's approach as astronauts Andy Thomas and Paul Richards manage the shuttle's docking mechanism and rendezvous tools. Using a view from a camera mounted in the center of Discovery's docking mechanism, Wetherbee will center the docking ports of the two spacecraft precisely, double-checking the alignment 30 feet out. The final approach will be at a relative velocity of one-tenth of a foot per second.

When Discovery makes contact with the station's docking port on Destiny, latches will automatically connect the two spacecraft as they fly high off the east coast of Brazil. Once relative motion between the spacecraft stops, Thomas will retract the docking ring on Discovery's mechanism, closing latches to firmly secure the shuttle to the station. The hatches between the shuttle and station are to be opened about two hours later at 1:42 a.m. Saturday.

The crew will begin transferring crews, equipment and supplies immediately. The first crew exchange is planned to allow Usachev to be aboard the station jointly with Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd for as long as possible to facilitate the change of leadership. The hatches will be closed again at 4:37 a.m. Saturday so the shuttle crew can prepare for the first of two planned spacewalks, a sojourn by astronauts Jim Voss and Susan Helms set to begin Saturday evening.

The stage is set for the eighth shuttle docking to the ISS with both spacecraft in good shape.

Overnight, the STS-102 astronauts Jim Wetherbee, Jim Kelly, Paul Richards and Andy Thomas, and Expedition 2 crew members Yury Usachev, Jim Voss and Susan Helms installed and checked out a targeting camera, extended the orbiter docking system's spring-loaded docking ring and unpacked rendezvous tools such as laptop computers and hand-held range-finders. They are scheduled to begin an abbreviated seven-hour sleep period at 9:42 a.m. today. When the crew wakes up at 4:42 p.m. to begin their final rendezvous activities, Discovery will be about 40 miles behind and slightly below the ISS.

About 9:15 p.m., at a distance of about nine miles behind the station, Wetherbee will fire Discovery's engines in a Terminal Initiation (Ti) burn, allowing the shuttle to close in, using its rendezvous radar system to track distance and approach speed. Once Discovery is about half a mile below the station, Wetherbee will take over manual control. Wetherbee will fly Discovery slowly to a point about 600 feet directly below the station, then move up and in front of the orbiting outpost. Closing in and stopping a little more than 300 feet directly in front of the station, Kelly will help control Discovery's approach as Thomas and Richards manage the shuttle's docking mechanism and rendezvous tools. Using a view from a camera mounted in the center of Discovery's docking mechanism, Wetherbee will center the docking ports of the two spacecraft precisely, double-checking the alignment 30 feet out. The final approach will be at a relative velocity of one-tenth of a foot per second.

When Discovery makes contact with Pressurized Mating Adapter 2 on the end of the Destiny module, latches will automatically attach the two spacecraft together. Once relative motion between the spacecraft stops, Thomas will retract the docking ring on Discovery's mechanism, closing latches to firmly secure the shuttle to the station

Early this morning, Wetherbee and Usachev received a congratulatory call from Sergio De Julio, president of the Italian Space Agency responsible for developing the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, Leonardo, that holds nearly five tons of equipment to be transferred to the station. Leonardo will be temporarily attached to the station during the first of two scheduled space walks on Saturday, to allow the transfer of the equipment and supplies housed inside.

Meanwhile, on board the ISS, Expedition 1 Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev made last-minute preparations for the arrival of their temporary guests and long-term replacements. The Expedition crews will exchange places on the ISS in a three-step fashion, beginning with Usachev and Gidzenko, who will swap places as Station and Shuttle crew members early Saturday within hours after docking.

While their Commander Yury Usachev begins a handover of duties from Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd aboard the International Space Station, the remaining members of the second station crew, astronauts Jim Voss and Susan Helms, will perform the space walk tonight, which will be the 17th devoted to assembly of the station.

The shuttle crew was awakened this evening by the song "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," performed by Starship and played in anticipation of the planned Extravehicular Activity (EVA). Voss and Helms were scheduled to begin putting on their spacesuits about 7:30 p.m. Throughout the planned seven hour EVA, they will be assisted by Paul Richards, serving as the in-cabin space walk choreographer.

Once outside the shuttle's airlock, their first tasks will be to prepare for the repositioning of Pressurized Mating Adapter 3 - a shuttle docking port - which will be repositioned from the Earth-facing berth on the Unity module to its left-side berth. They will detach cables on that docking port and also detach a communications antenna from the left-side berth on Unity. Then their work will focus on preparing the exterior of the station's Destiny Laboratory for the arrival of the space station robotic arm that will be launched aboard Endeavour next month. They will attach an exterior cradle to the lab as well as cables that will be used for the arm's installation.

After about six hours of work, Voss and Helms will return to Discovery's airlock where they will stand by, ready to assist if needed, as Andy Thomas uses the shuttle's robotic arm to reposition the docking port. After more than seven hours outside, they plan to repressurize the airlock and enter Discovery's cabin at about 6:12 a.m. Sunday.

The hatches between Discovery and the International Space Station are closed now after having been opened for only a couple of hours early this morning just after Discovery docked to the complex. Usachev immediately moved to the station from the shuttle and Yuri Gidzenko, pilot for the first station crew, moved to Discovery. The hatches between the two spacecraft are to be reopened shortly after 8 p.m. Sunday, as the crew begins the fifth day of the mission.

Discovery and the station are in excellent condition in an orbit with a high point of 237 statute miles and a low point of 230 statute miles.

"You have a great looking ship there, Captain Shepherd," Wetherbee radioed to the station.

The linkup, which occurred as the two spacecraft were flying above the southern Pacific Ocean, just east of New Zealand, was delayed by about an hour when one of the station's P-6 solar arrays failed to register as being properly feathered to avoid damage from the shuttle steering jet plumes. Wetherbee hovered 400 feet away from the Pressurized Mating Adapter-2 port as he awaited the array latch verification and proper lighting conditions for his final approach.

Station flight controllers and crew members also teamed up to overcome a shuttle communications problem that occurred just after docking. Downlinked signals could not be relayed from the White Sands Ground Station in New Mexico to Houston for about 34 minutes, but messages were passed on to the shuttle crew via the space station control room and a radio link between the station and shuttle.

After hooks and latches created a secure bond, the hatches between the two spacecraft were opened at 2:51 a.m. CST, beginning eight days of docked operations. The eighth shuttle mission to the station will feature the first crew exchange aboard the multinational orbiting outpost and the delivery of the first research experiment package for the Destiny laboratory module.

Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev was the first to join Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev aboard the station. He was followed closely by Wetherbee, Expedition Two Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms, and visiting shuttle astronauts Jim Kelly, Andy Thomas and Paul Richards. All 10 crew members spent several minutes greeting each other in the spacious Destiny module.

The arrival of Discovery signaled the beginning of the end of the Expedition One crew's four and a half month stay onboard the International Space Station. The first crew members to trade places Saturday morning were Usachev and Gidzenko. Voss and Krikalev will switch out on Sunday. Shepherd won't trade his personalized Soyuz seat liner for Helms' until Tuesday evening, allowing almost a week for the the two commanders to exchange notes. Shepherd remains in control of expedition operations until the hatches close for the final time next Saturday.

The hatches between the two spacecraft were to be closed temporarily about 5:45 a.m. CST Saturday so that preparations for STS-102's first space walk by Helms and Voss can begin on time at 10:47 p.m. CST Saturday. That space walk will involve preparations for berthing of the Leonardo "moving van," or Multipurpose Logisitics Module to the Destiny module.

The orbiting complex is operating in fine shape at an altitude of 235 statute miles.

Discovery's crew was awakened today by the song "Blast Off" from the animated feature Scooby Doo and the Alien Invaders, played for astronaut Paul Richards as a selection from his children. The shuttle and station crews plan to reopen hatches between the two spacecraft at about 8:12 p.m. today. They will remain open for about eight hours before they again must be closed in preparation for a second space walk Monday night.

Just after the hatches open this evening, the crew exchange will continue with Expedition Two Flight Engineer Jim Voss taking up residence aboard the station and Expedition One Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev moving to Discovery. With Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev already aboard the complex since Saturday, only one more crewmember switch remains to complete the station's change of watch. Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd will trade places with Expedition Two Flight Engineer Susan Helms Tuesday night.

As the crews work together tonight, moving gear inside the shuttle and station, Astronaut Andy Thomas will use Discovery's robotic arm to remove the Italian Space Agency-built Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module from the shuttle's cargo bay and attach it to the station's Unity module. Leonardo carries more than 5 tons of equipment and experiments that will be unloaded during the next few days before it is again detached from the station and stowed aboard Discovery to return to Earth.

Tonight's plan calls for Thomas to begin lifting Leonardo from Discovery's cargo bay at 9:12 p.m. He will maneuver it into place and latch it to the station at about 10:57 p.m. The station crew plans to enter the cargo module at about 5:42 a.m. Monday to begin the unloading.

Discovery and the International Space Station remain in excellent condition in an orbit with a high point of 236 statute miles and a low point of 229 statute miles.

The pair, destined to become members of the Expedition Two crew aboard the station later in the mission, began the 17th station assembly space walk at 11:12 p.m. CST Saturday. Inside Discovery, Paul Richards choreographed their activities and served as liaison with Mission Control.

The space walkers were delayed early in their excursion when a portable foot restraint attachment device became untethered, and Voss had to retrieve a spare from its storage location on the outside of the station's Unity module.

Helms and Voss successfully prepared Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 for repositioning from Unity's Earth-facing berth to its port-side berth to make room for Leonardo, the Italian Space Agency-built Multipurpose Logistics Module. They disconnected eight cables and removed an Early Communications System antenna from the left-side Common Berthing Mechanism so that shuttle robotic arm operator Andy Thomas could put the mating adapter in its place, freeing up the Earth-facing berthing port for Leonardo.

The space walkers also removed a Lab Cradle Assembly from the cargo bay and installed it on the side of the Destiny laboratory module, where it will form the base for station robotic arm to be launched on STS-100 in mid-April. Because of the early delay, they were instructed to defer power and data cable connections for the cradle until Monday's scheduled space walk by Richards and Thomas. Voss and Helms also installed a cable tray to Destiny for later use by the station's robot arm.

The pair reentered Discovery's airlock early Sunday and waited for Thomas to maneuver the docking port to its new location, but remained at the ready to assist if needed. After Commander Jim Wetherbee drove the Common Berthing Mechanism latches home and secured the docking port at 7:43 a.m., the airlock was repressurized, ending the space walk at 8:08 a.m. Sunday after 8 hours 56 minutes, making it the longest space walk in Shuttle history. The space walk brings the total exterior construction time on the station to 117 hours 39 minutes over the course of 17 space walks, and the total EVA time in Shuttle program history to 386 hours, 15 minutes over 61 separate space walks.

Meanwhile aboard the station, Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev began a handover of duties from Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, with Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev also still on board. The hatches between Discovery and the International Space Station are to be reopened shortly after 8 p.m. Sunday, as the crew begins the fifth day of the mission.

Both crews are scheduled to begin an eight-hour sleep period at 9:42 a.m. central time, awakening at 5:42 p.m. Discovery and the station are in excellent condition in an orbit of about 235 statute miles.

The song "From a Distance" performed by Nanci Griffith awakened Discovery's crew, and astronauts Paul Richards and Andy Thomas quickly began preparing for a planned six and a half hour space walk. Richards and Thomas plan to install a stowage platform for spare station parts as well as attach a spare pump to the platform, ready in the event future crews need it. They also will complete the connection of several cables that were put in place by astronauts Jim Voss and Susan Helms during their space walk conducted on Sunday. The cables, on the exterior of the Destiny laboratory, will be used by the station's robotic arm set for launch aboard the next space shuttle in April.

After the cable connections are completed, Richards and Thomas will climb to the top of the station where the giant, 240-foot wingspan United States solar arrays are attached and attempt to tap a brace for the port side array into its latched position. The brace, one of four, did not latch in place properly when the arrays were installed on the station last year. However, the other three braces are secure and the array's stability has not been a concern. In addition, several quick tasks are planned during the space walk, including work with a connector on the Unity module as part of an analysis of a past lab heater problem; taking photos of a vent on the Destiny lab and of the Zvezda service module's general exterior; and inspecting an exterior experiment called the Floating Potential Probe that has operated intermittently since it was installed on the station a few months ago.

During the space walk, Discovery Pilot Jim Kelly will operate the shuttle's robotic arm to maneuver Thomas as he carries gear between the shuttle and the station. Astronaut Susan Helms will serve as the in-cabin space walk coordinator aboard Discovery.

While Discovery's crew is busy installing exterior equipment, inside the station Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev and Expedition Two Flight Engineer Jim Voss will continue unloading the Leonardo logistics module. Leonardo, attached to the station last night, carried almost five tons of gear to be installed aboard the complex.

Richards and Thomas are scheduled to begin donning their space suits and associated gear at about 7:42 p.m. and exit Discovery's cabin at 10:47 p.m. The space walk is scheduled to conclude at 5:17 a.m. Tuesday.

Discovery and the International Space Station continue to orbit in excellent condition.

Operating Discovery's robotic arm, Thomas grappled the "crate" full of equipment racks and supplies at 9:37 p.m. Sunday, lifting it out of the shuttle's cargo bay at 10:10 p.m. Over the course of the next two hours, he slowly and deliberately moved the 11-ton module into place. At 12:02 a.m. today, STS-102 Commander Jim Wetherbee commanded the latches on the station's Earth-facing Common Berthing Mechanism to establish a tight seal with the Leonardo module.

The berthing of Leonardo to Unity took slightly longer than planned while Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd rerouted video from the Centerline Berthing Camera System to the television monitors on the shuttle's aft flight deck so that Thomas could use the view looking directly out the berthing port at its corresponding opening on Leonardo. There also was a delay in activating the cargo carrier while Shepherd connected a Unity-to-Destiny power cable that provides electricity to systems inside Leonardo. Shepherd briefly entered the Leonardo module at 5:51 a.m. to retrieve the cable. He took it to the vestibule between the U.S. laboratory and Unity and made the required connections. Leonardo carries more than five tons of equipment and experiments that will be unloaded during the next few days before it is again detached from the station and stowed aboard Discovery to return to Earth.

The shuttle and station crews rejoined each other at 9:15 p.m. Sunday when the hatches separating them during the previous day's record-setting 8-hour, 56-minute space walk were reopened. With the hatches open, Jim Voss - the station's newest resident after a 10:45 p.m. swap-out with Sergei Krikalev - joined Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd and Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev on board the station. Only one more crew swap remains to complete the station's change of watch. Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd will trade places with Expedition Two Flight Engineer Susan Helms on Tuesday. The hatches were closed once again at 5:39 a.m. today after 8 hours, 24 minutes. So far, the hatches between the shuttle and station have been open for a total of 10 hours, 27 minutes.

Meanwhile mission specialists Paul Richards and Thomas, with help from Helms, checked out the space suits they will wear for a planned 6-hour, 30-minute space walk scheduled to begin at 10:47 p.m. Monday. Richards and Thomas will finish up a task that was deferred from the first space walk, connecting cables on the Lab Cradle Assembly that will be the mounting location for the station's robotic arm when it arrives next month. Next, they'll install an External Stowage Platform on the hull of Destiny and hook up cables that will provide heater power to spare equipment that will be stored there. They'll place the first of such spares, a Pump and Flow Control Subassembly that regulates ammonia coolant flow, on the platform. The pair also will inspect the Floating Potential Probe that is designed to measure the electrical charge on the outside of the station but has not been providing data since being temporarily shut down for repositioning of the station's Soyuz escape vehicle in February.

Discovery and the International Space Station remain in excellent condition at an altitude of about 235 statute miles.

With help from shuttle robotic arm operator Jim Kelly and space walk choreographer Susan Helms, Richards and Thomas installed a stowage platform for spare station parts and attached a spare ammonia coolant pump to the platform. They also finished connecting several cables put in place by Astronauts Jim Voss and Susan Helms during their nearly nine-hour-long space walk Sunday. The cables, on the exterior of the Destiny laboratory module, will provide power and control of the station's Canadian-built robotic arm. Known as the Space Station Remote Manipulator System, the arm will be delivered and installed by the STS-100 crew in April.

Commander Jim Wetherbee deactivated and then reactivated Leonardo's DC-to-DC power converters and checked out the Lab Cradle Assembly, installed during the first space walk, which eventually will be used to connect the station's large truss structure to Destiny's hull.

Richards and Thomas also scaled the station to the top of its 240-foot-wide solar arrays and were successful in engaging a fourth latch for the port-side array's structural brace. Several other get-ahead tasks also were accomplished during the space walk, including a check of a Unity module heater connection and inspection of an exterior experiment called the Floating Potential Probe that has been operating intermittently. The space walkers reported they did not see any status lights on the probe; investigators on the ground will use that information to continue troubleshooting.

"Well, Andy, we were on top of the world there for a while," Richards said as the pair began returning to the airlock. "Yes, we were," Thomas replied.

The second and final planned space walk of the mission began at 11:23 p.m. Monday, and concluded at 5:44 a.m. Tuesday. The 6-hour, 21-minute space walk brings the total exterior construction time on the station to 124 hours over the course of 18 space walks, and the total EVA time in shuttle program history to 392 hours, 36 minutes over 62 separate space walks.

As Richards and Thomas worked outside the station, returning Expedition One Cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev - now members of the Discovery crew - exercised inside the shuttle to help prepare their bodies for the return to Earth after four and a half months in orbit.

Inside the station, Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, and Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineer Jim Voss continued to unload the Leonardo logistics module. Among the five tons of gear being transferred is the first station research rack, the Human Research Facility, which will be installed inside Destiny this evening.

Discovery's crew will go to bed at 9:42 a.m. CST, and will get an extra half-hour of sleep before being awakened at 6:12 p.m. All station and shuttle systems are working well.

Discovery's crew was awakened this evening for the seventh day of the mission with the song "Free Fallin" by Tom Petty, a favorite of astronaut Susan Helms who today will take up official residence on the station as a member of the outpost's second crew. She will trade places with first expedition Commander Bill Shepherd, who is completing four and a half months aboard the complex. Though the crew transfer is complete tonight, the official end of the Expedition One increment occurs on Saturday when Discovery departs the ISS.

Usachev, Helms and Jim Voss are beginning a four-month stay in space. Shepherd, Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev and Pilot Yuri Gidzenko have brought the station to life as members of the inaugural crew, launched Oct. 31, 2000, aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft from Kazakhstan. Both the first and second station crews will have several hours set aside today to compare notes and hand over duties.

The crews are ahead of schedule in unloading the Leonardo logistics module, with all seven systems racks - equipment that includes electronics, communications gear, experiments and medical facilities - already moved to the station's Destiny Laboratory. Included among those racks is the first major piece of station science equipment, called the Human Research Facility, which will study the effects of weightlessness on the human body. They will continue unloading supplies from the Italian Space Agency-developed cargo carrier today.

Helms, a Portland, Oregon, native, Usachev, Voss and Discovery Commander Jim Wetherbee will take a brief break from their work just after midnight for an interview with three Portland-area television stations.

Discovery and the International Space Station remain in excellent condition, orbiting Earth once every 92 minutes.

Helms was the third and final Expedition Two crew member to make the move, following Commander Yury Usachev and fellow Flight Engineer Jim Voss. Helms traded places with Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, who now joins Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev as a member of the STS-102 crew aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. Though the crew transfer is complete, the official end of the Expedition One increment will occur Saturday when Discovery undocks at 9:54 p.m. CST.

Just after completing the transfer, Helms, who calls Portland, Oregon, home, floated into an interview with three Portland-area television stations wearing her Sokol space suit, which she would use in the unlikely event the crew needed to return home in the Soyuz capsule. The Expedition Two crew is scheduled to return home aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in July following the second station crew exchange.

The hatches between Discovery and the station remain open and cargo transfer activities continue ahead of schedule. More than 70 percent of the equipment and supplies already has been moved from the Italian-built Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module into the station. All seven systems racks - equipment that includes electronics, communications gear, experiments and medical facilities - already are in the Destiny laboratory. Included among those racks is the first major piece of station science equipment, called the Human Research Facility, which will study the effects of weightlessness on the human body. The remaining cargo to be transferred consists of supplies in soft-sided transfer bags.

Commander Jim Wetherbee also conducted two tests using the shuttle's steering jets, looking at the potential for using the shuttle's primary reaction control system thrusters to control station attitude and at the optimum method for reboosting the station using those jets. Wetherbee also set up the shuttle's autopilot to reboost the station overnight, eventually raising the station's altitude by about 8.5 statute miles.

Both crews begin their sleep periods at 9:42 a.m. today. They will be awakened at 5:42 p.m. Wednesday.

On Saturday, after two more days of cargo transfers and the return of the Leonardo module to the shuttle's cargo bay, the crews are scheduled to exchange farewells and close the hatches at 7:12 p.m. CST.

Discovery and the International Space Station remain in excellent condition, orbiting Earth at an altitude of approximately 235 statute miles.

The crews will spend today packing trash and unneeded equipment as well as luggage for the returning station crew in the Leonardo logistics module. They also will have some time off to rest after a busy week spent in space so far. The station crews also will continue comparing notes and handing over duties aboard the scientific outpost. During the handover activities, Expedition Two Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms will begin a thorough checkout of the robotic workstation inside the Destiny Laboratory. It will be used to operate the station's Canadian-built remote manipulator system upon its arrival on the next shuttle mission next month.

The crews were awakened today with the song "Should I Stay, or Should I Go?" performed by The Clash, played for returning International Space Station Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd from his wife, Beth.

Early this morning, near the end of the crew's seventh day in orbit, Discovery Commander Jim Wetherbee performed a reboost of the station and shuttle a day earlier than originally planned to ensure that the complex would remain clear of a piece of spacewalking equipment that floated free during the mission's first spacewalk. The approximately 50-minute long reboost, performed by gentle, repeated firings of Discovery's smallest steering jets, raised the station's and shuttle's orbit by almost two and half statute miles, keeping the complex well away from the lost foot restraint. Two more reboosts for the station are planned to take place later in the flight as originally scheduled for the mission.

Several crewmembers will take breaks from their work tonight to speak with media and students. At 2:17 a.m. Thursday, Wetherbee and Discovery Pilot Jim Kelly will field questions from three media from the Burlington, Iowa, area, Kelly's hometown. At 3:40 a.m., the crew is expected to send a message honoring the 75th anniversary of rocketry. Two hours later at 5:40 a.m., Wetherbee, Shepherd, Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev, and Discovery astronaut Andy Thomas will field questions from school children in Dundee, Scotland.

Discovery and the International Space Station remain in excellent condition in an orbit with a high point of 243 statute miles and a low point of 230 statute miles.

Expedition Two Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms spent most of their workday installing the Space Station Remote Manipulator System workstation inside the Destiny Laboratory. They activated a portion of the system that will be used to route television pictures from docked space shuttles to the control station for use by arm operators. The remaining activation work will start after Discovery undocks Saturday evening.

The Canadian-built appendage will be delivered on the STS-100 mission - set to launch April 19 - and attached to the Lab Cradle Assembly that Voss and Helms bolted to the side of the Destiny Laboratory Module during their space walk Sunday. The station arm's first job will be to install the airlock on STS-104, set for launch this June.

Load master Andy Thomas coordinated the transfer of equipment, supplies, trash and luggage between the station and shuttle with the help of Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev and fellow Mission Specialist Paul Richards. All five tons of equipment and supplies delivered aboard the Leonardo Module have been transferred to the station. The crew is now concentrating on packing trash, unneeded equipment and luggage in the Italian-built Multi-Purpose Logistics Module for return to Earth.

Commander Jim Wetherbee and Pilot Jim Kelly answered questions posed by reporters in the area of Burlington, Iowa, Kelly's hometown. Wetherbee, Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Usachev and Thomas talked with school children in Dundee, Scotland, who are following the mission because the crew is carrying a piece of the sailing research ship RRS Discovery launched 100 years ago at Dundee.

The astronauts and cosmonauts also took some time off to rest after a busy week and to continue handing over duties aboard the scientific outpost.

The station and shuttle are orbiting in fine fashion at an altitude of 240 statute miles following a 50-minute long series of reboost maneuvers. The gentle, repeated firings of Discovery's smallest steering jets took place a day earlier than originally planned to ensure that the complex would remain clear of a piece of equipment that floated free during the mission's first space walk. Further tracking has shown that the 10.5-pound Portable Foot Restraint Attachment Device is about 20 miles below and in front of the shuttle-station complex. Two more reboosts for the station are planned Friday and Saturday.

Mission Specialist Andy Thomas coordinated the loading of about a ton of materials and equipment into the Italian-built Multi-Purpose Logistics Module with help from Pilot Jim Kelly and Mission Specialist Paul Richards. The astronauts are to exit the module at 8:42 p.m. CST, deactivate it at 9:02 p.m. and uncouple it from the station at 11:52 p.m. Using the shuttle's robotic arm, they are to latch it in the payload bay at 12:57 a.m. Sunday.

Commander Jim Wetherbee set in motion the third and final reboost of the station's altitude by executing a programmed series of gentle steering jet firings. The third reboost raised the shuttle altitude two statute miles, making the total reboost imparted during the STS-102 mission a little more than seven statute miles.

Departing Expedition One Commander Bill Shepherd, Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev concentrated on sharing their handover notes with Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss.

Kelly, Richards and Thomas took time to answer questions from NBC News' Weekend Today Show and ABC News. About an hour later, Usachev, Gidzenko and Krikalev talked with reporters gathered in the Russian Mission Control Center in Korolev, outside Moscow.

Discovery is scheduled to undock from the station at 10:32 p.m. Sunday. When Discovery undocks from the station, it will mark the end of the Expedition One crew's 136-day stay onboard the outpost, beginning with their Nov. 2 arrival onboard a Soyuz spacecraft.

The shuttle and station remain in excellent health orbiting Earth at an altitude of approximately 235 statute miles.

The hatches between the shuttle and station were to be closed for a final time at about 7:30 tonight, leaving Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev and his Flight Engineers, astronauts Jim Voss and Susan Helms, aboard the complex. The second crew is beginning a four-month stay aboard the station that will see the complex continue to grow in research capability and self-sufficiency as a robotic arm, more experiments and a new airlock are attached on future missions.

The first station expedition crew - led by Commander Bill Shepherd with Pilot Yuri Gidzenko and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev - is returning home after having brought the complex to life during its stay. The Expedition One crew docked to an uninhabited station that was about half the size and had only a fraction of the capability of the orbiting science complex and permanent home they are departing. The crews bid one another farewell about an hour before the hatch closing.

"We are on a t