Culbertson

Dezhurov

Tyurin

---

ISS EO-3

10 August 2001 21:10 GMT. Landing Date: 2001-12-17 17:55:00 PM. Flight Time: 128.86 days. Alternate Name: STS-105 (Culbertson, Dezhurov, Tyurin). Flight Up: STS-105. Flight Back: STS-108. Call Sign: Discovery. Crew: Culbertson, Dezhurov, Tyurin. Program: ISS. Three-person crew to operate the station and provide support during station replenishment and assembly missions Progress M-45, Progress M-DC1, Progress M1-7, Soyuz TM-33, Soyuz TM-32 vehicles and Space Shuttles during flights 7A.1, UF1.

The flight program consisted of the following main activities:

• Insertion of ISS EO-3 crew by Space Shuttle during Flight 7A.1;
• Support of the docking/undocking operations relative to the Progress M-45, Progress M-DC1, Progress M1-7, Soyuz TM-33, Soyuz TM-32 vehicles and Space Shuttles during flights 7A.1, UF1;
• Progress, Soyuz and Shuttle unloading;
• Station assembly operations and maintenance;
• Perform EVA's - three space walks to the ISS Russian segment from the Pirs Docking Compartment DC1;
• Implementation of the by Rosaviakosmos, NASDA and ESA Research and Experimental Program experiments: Paradont, Kardio-ODNT, Prognoz, Bradoz, Sprut-MBI, Farma, Diatomeya, Uragan, Identifikatsia, Izgib, Tenzor, Iskazheniye, Priviazka, Plazmenniy Kristall, Meteoroid, Vektor-T, Skorpion, Kromka, Diurez, Profilaktika, Glikoproteid, Mimetik-K, as well as the contracted commercial activities Vzglyad, GTS, MPAC&SEED, HDTV;
• Conduct of the activities under the Visiting Crew Program EP-2 mission:
• Conduct experiments under the Russian Program: Uragan,, Diatomeya Plazmenniy Kristall,;
• Conduct experiments under the Andromeda scientific program of CNES France (CNES);
• Contracted work for the Globus Space company (Vzglyad program).
• Support the second Russian visiting expedition crew of three crew, including ESA French astronaut Claudie Haignere;
• Crew handover to the ISS EO-4 crew and return of the ISS EO-3 crew aboard Space Shuttle Flight UF1.

ISS EO-3 Credit- www.spacefacts.de

• 2001 Aug 10 - STS-105  Crew: Horowitz, Sturckow, Barry, Forrester, Culbertson, Dezhurov, Tyurin. Spacecraft: Discovery. Payload: Discovery F30 / Leonardo. Mass: 116,914 kg (257,751 lb). Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. Duration: 11.88 days. Perigee: 373 km (231 mi). Apogee: 402 km (249 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg.

  STS 105 was an American shuttle that carried a crew of ten (including three crew for the ISS - one American and two Russian), five tonnes of supplies, hardware, and a bedroom suite to accommodate a third astronaut in the Destiny module. The crew installed in the station two new science experiment racks that were carried in the Leonardo container which was first lifted out of the shuttle and bolted to the Unity module. Leonardo then carried back all the trash from the ISS back to the shuttle. They crew installed the MISSE (Materials International Space Station Experiment) container outside the ISS to test the effect of radiation on materials and some low-cost science experiments such as microgravity cell growth studies inside the station.

  The 15,107 kg payload consisted of:

  • Bay 1-2: Orbiter Docking System/External Airlock and 3 EMU spacesuits - 2160 kg
  • Bay 4P: Adapter beam with G-780 (Mayo High School, Rochester, Minnesota experiment to study germination of faba beans) and PSP-1 (NASA-GSFC canister with passive experiments and ballast) - 200 kg
  • Bay 5: Integrated Cargo Carrier/KYD - 1280 kg, with the Early Ammonia Servicer for the station's P6 truss- 640 kg and two small exposure experiments PEC-1 and PEC-2, to be installed on the be installed on the ISS Quest module as part of the MISSE materials exposure program
  • Bay 7-12: MPLM FM1 (Leonardo) module - 9800 kg total including 3300 kg of payload to be transferred to the Station
  • Bay 13P: Adapter beam with G-774 (Microgravity Smoldering Combustion (MSC) experiment) and SEM-10 (canister with 11 school experiments) - 410 kg
  • Bay 13S: Adapter beam with Simplesat and ACE avionics - 355 kg
  • Sill: RMS arm - 410 kg
  STS-105 main engine cutoff was at 2118 GMT placed Discovery and external tank ET-110 into a 58 x 234 km x 51.6 deg orbit. At 2148 GMT Discovery reached apogee and fired its OMS engines to enter a 155 x 233 km x 51.6 deg orbit; another burn at 0100 GMT raised the orbit to 198 x 277 km. Discovery docked at the Station's PMA-2 port at 1842 GMT on August 12. After some problems aligning the docking system, the docking ring was retracted and latched at 1905 GMT and the hatch was opened to ISS at 2042 GMT. Expedition 3 began on August 13 at 1915 GMT when the new crew's seat liners were installed on the Soyuz transport ship. The formal EX-2/EX-3 change-of-command ceremony was held on August 17 in Destiny.

  The Leonardo MPLM module was lifted out of Discovery's payload bay at 1326 GMT on August 13 and docked to Unity's nadir at 1554 GMT. 3300 kg of cargo from Leonardo was transferred to the Station. Then 1700 kg of station garbage and materials were loaded into Leonardo. It was unberthed from Unity at 1816 GMT on August 19 and returned to the payload bay for the return to Earth at 1917 GMT.

  Discovery undocked at 1452 GMT on August 20 with the Expedition 2 crew aboard, leaving Expedition 3 at the Station.

  At 1830 GMT on August 20 the Simplesat test satellite was ejected from a GAS canister in the cargo bay. Discovery landed at Kennedy Space Center at 1822:58 GMT on August 22 on runway 15, after a deorbit burn at 1715 GMT. The Expedition Two crew of Usachyov, Voss and Helms had been in space for 167 days. Discovery was taken out of service after the flight for structural inspections. Its last maintenance down period was in 1995-1996.

• 2001 Aug 10 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #01 

  After a one-day delay because of weather, Space Shuttle Discovery blasted off this afternoon, carrying a crew of four and three new residents to the International Space Station.

  As the station sailed over the Pacific Ocean southwest of the border between Mexico and Guatemala, Discovery rocketed away from Launch Pad 39-A at the Kennedy Space Center at 4:10 p.m. Central time en route to a rendezvous and docking Sunday afternoon.

  Aboard Discovery were Commander Scott Horowitz, Pilot Rick Sturckow and Mission Specialists Pat Forrester and Dan Barry along with Expedition Three Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin. They will replace the Expedition Two crew, Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms, who were wrapping up their 155th day in space at the time of Discovery's launch.

  Less than nine minutes after beginning its journey, Discovery settled into its preliminary orbit as the crew prepared to open the ship's payload bay doors prior to receiving the green light to begin orbital operations. This is the fifth shuttle mission of the year.

  Discovery's crew will spend the next few hours unpacking equipment, setting up computers and conducting the first in a series of engine firings to refine the shuttle's orbit as it heads for the station. The crew will begin an eight-hour sleep period shortly after 11 p.m. and will be awakened at 7:15 a.m. Saturday for its first full day in orbit. That day will be devoted to preparations for Sunday's rendezvous and docking and eight days of joint operations with the Expedition Two crew, highlighted by the official transfer of command of the station from Usachev to Culbertson.

  Aboard the station, Usachev, Voss and Helms have spent most of the past couple of weeks packing gear for the trip home aboard Discovery, and tidying up for the arrival of visitors about 1:30 p.m. Sunday.

  Discovery is in an orbit inclined 51.6 degrees to either side of the Equator with all of its systems operating normally.

• 2001 Aug 11 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #02 

  The seven crewmembers aboard Discovery were awakened shortly after 7 a.m. Saturday for their first full day in space, a day of pursuit and preparation for a Sunday rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station (ISS).

  Discovery's astronauts and cosmonauts, Commander Scott Horowitz, Pilot Rick Sturckow and Mission Specialists Pat Forrester and Dan Barry, and Expedition Three Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin, were awakened to "Back in the Saddle Again" by Gene Autry. It was played for Culbertson, making his third flight into space, eight years after he last flew.

  At the time the crew was awakened, some 8000 statute miles separated Discovery from the ISS. A second firing of Discovery's orbital maneuvering systems engines is scheduled for early in the crew's day today to further adjust its orbit in preparation for rendezvous and docking with the station. Also scheduled today are the checkout of spacesuits to be worn by Barry and Forrester during two spacewalks next week, the preparation of rendezvous and navigation tools and a test of the shuttle's robotic arm, all routine work on the day before docking. Crewmembers also will perform a camera survey of Discovery's cargo bay with arm-mounted cameras.

  Discovery is scheduled to linkup to the ISS tomorrow at 1:37 p.m. Central time as the two spacecraft fly over the Indian Ocean northwest of Australia, just south of the Indonesian island of Jawa.

  The major objective of the STS-105 mission of Discovery is the swapout of the new resident Station crew, led by Culbertson, with the Expedition Two crew, Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms, who have been aboard the Station more than five months. They are to return to Earth aboard Discovery on August 22.

  Discovery also is bringing equipment, supplies and scientific experiments to the Station. Almost 7,000 pounds of that cargo is in Leonardo, the Italian-built Multipurpose Logistics Module in Discovery's cargo bay. Once that is transferred to the station, Leonardo will be packed with other equipment, unused items and trash for return to Earth.

  During their eight days docked to the station, Discovery Mission Specialists Barry and Forrester will perform two spacewalks. On the first, next Thursday, they will install a device called an Early Ammonia Servicer on the Station. It contains spare ammonia that could be used to cool Station systems should it be needed. During the second spacewalk, two days later, they will install heater cables for the station's large S0 truss segment, which will be delivered on a future mission, as well as handrails.

  Discovery is orbiting the Earth in excellent shape with no issues being worked by the flight control team.

• 2001 Aug 11 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #03 

  The seven crewmembers aboard Discovery, including the future residents of the International Space Station (ISS), spent their first full day in orbit today preparing for their arrival tomorrow at the orbital outpost.

  Commander Scott Horowitz, Pilot Rick Sturckow and Mission Specialists Pat Forrester and Dan Barry, along with Expedition Three Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin, checked out Shuttle systems, navigational tools and docking hardware in advance of Discovery's planned linkup to the ISS.

  The docking is scheduled to occur Sunday at 1:38 p.m. Central time over the Indian Ocean northwest of Australia, just south of the Indonesian island of Jawa.

  Forrester and Horowitz powered up, unfurled and checked out Discovery's 50-foot long robotic arm, which will be used by Forrester to move the Leonardo cargo module from Discovery's payload bay to the ISS for the transfer of food and supplies, and by Horowitz to transport Barry and Forrester around the Station during their two spacewalks next week.

  In addition, Barry and Forrester tested the devices they will use tomorrow to measure Discovery's distance from the ISS and its rate of closure on the complex during the terminal phase of the Shuttle's approach to the Station. Discovery's docking mechanism was also checked out and its outer docking ring extended to ensure it is ready for tomorrow's capture of the ISS docking port on the forward end of the Station's Destiny laboratory module.

  Next week, Barry and Forrester will test the spacesuits they will wear during their two excursions outside Discovery to attach a spare cooling reservoir to the ISS and to hook up heating cables for a large truss structure that will be mounted to the Station next year.

  The crew enjoyed a few hours of spare time this afternoon to relax as they wound down for the start of an eight-hour sleep period just after 9 p.m. Central time tonight.

  Aboard the ISS, Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms spent the day packing up personal items and preparing Station systems for tomorrow's arrival of their replacements, Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin. This was the 156th day in space for the current occupants of the ISS.

  The exchange of crew members on the Station will occur on Monday, although formal command of the Station will not be transferred from Usachev to Culbertson until a few hours before Discovery's undocking on August 20.

  Almost 7,000 pounds of food, supplies and personal items for the Expedition Three crew are housed in Leonardo, the Italian-built Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM).

  Once the module is transferred to the Station and unpacked, it will be filled with equipment no longer needed on the ISS, including Expedition Two crew clothing and trash for return to Earth.

  Discovery is orbiting the Earth in excellent shape with no issues being worked by the flight control team.

• 2001 Aug 12 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #04 

  The crew of Discovery, trailing the International Space Station by less than 2,000 statute miles, was awakened at 5:10 a.m. Central time to the sounds of "The White Eagle," a traditional Russian folk song played for Expedition Three Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov. Dezhurov and his crewmates, Expedition Three Commander Frank Culbertson and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin are just hours from reaching their new home aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

  Discovery Commander Scott Horowitz, Pilot Rick Sturckow and Mission Specialists Pat Forrester and Dan Barry, along with the Expedition Three crew, will begin rendezvous operations a little before 9 a.m. today. The shuttle will begin a final approach to the station from a point about 9 miles behind the outpost with the last major rendezvous maneuver scheduled at around 11:15 a.m.

  With Discovery about 600 feet directly below the station, Horowitz will fly the shuttle in a quarter circle to a point in front of the complex. From there he will very slowly and precisely maneuver Discovery toward the station, pausing about 30 feet from the ISS to precisely align the docking mechanisms of the two craft.

  Docking is expected to occur at 1:38 p.m. over the Indian Ocean just south of the Indonesian island of Jawa. The hatches separating the two spacecraft are to be opened around 3:30 p.m. allowing the current station residents, Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms to greet their replacements and the Discovery astronauts who will bring them home after more than five months in space.

  ISS flight controllers are expected to ask the Expedition Two crew on Wednesday to try to reboot one of three command and control computers which experienced a hard drive problem last week and which has been put in standby mode with no impact to station operations. If the reboot does not recover the use of the hard drive, the crew may be asked to replace a component in the computer with a spare being brought to the station on Discovery. Two other command and control computers, a prime and a backup, are working perfectly in support of U.S. segment systems.

  Discovery is orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes in good shape in pursuit of the International Space Station.

• 2001 Aug 12 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #05 

  Discovery Commander Scott Horowitz, with the assistance of Pilot Rick Sturckow and Mission Specialists Pat Forrester and Dan Barry, carefully guided the Shuttle to a linkup with the ISS at 1:42 p.m. Central time as the two craft sailed 240 miles above northwestern Australia. On board Discovery were the new Station Commander Frank Culbertson, and his Expedition Three crewmates, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin.

  Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms looked on from the station's Destiny laboratory as Discovery arrived this afternoon, then worked in concert with their Shuttle counterparts to ensure a tight seal and a firm mate between the two vehicles.

  At 3:41 p.m., hatches finally swung open between Discovery and the ISS, and the two crews greeted one another. First aboard the station was Culbertson to survey his home for the next four months. Within minutes, all ten astronauts and cosmonauts had shared greetings before settling in for a station safety briefing conducted by Usachev.

  Monday the crews will attach the Leonardo cargo carrier to the station at about 9:30 a.m. and begin unloading its supplies.

  Just prior to this operation, the two station crews will systematically begin the process of handing over command from Expedition Two to Expedition Three. The plan is for Culbertson and Helms to remove her form-fitting seat liner from the Soyuz spacecraft and replace it with Culbertson's at about 7 a.m. Two hours later at about 9 a.m., Dezhurov and Usachev will do the same followed at 12:30 p.m. by the seat liner swap of Tyurin and Voss. The Soyuz is used as a return vehicle in the event of a problem on the station.

  Crew sleep is scheduled for about 8 tonight with a musical wakeup call from Mission Control at 5:10 a.m. Monday.

  The station and shuttle complex is orbiting the Earth every 92 minutes in good shape.

• 2001 Aug 13 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #06 

  The crewmembers aboard the Discovery / International Space Station complex were awakened shortly before 4:30 a.m. Central time today to the sounds of the overture from "The Barber of Seville" by Rossini, a tribute to Expedition Three Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin, who along with Commander Frank Culbertson and Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov, will move over to the ISS today to take up residency.

  Once they swap out their custom-made Soyuz capsule seat liners with those belonging to Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms, Culbertson, Dezhurov and Tyurin will become the third trio of residents to inhabit the complex, while Usachev, Voss and Helms become members of Discovery's crew.

  The Soyuz serves as a crew return vehicle in the unlikely event it should become necessary to leave the station.

  Official handover of command of the ISS from Usachev to Culbertson will take place on August 20, shortly before Discovery undocks from the Station.

  After the crew transfer is complete, the oncoming ISS residents will begin a comprehensive handover with their departing counterparts, receiving briefings on Station systems, the current configuration of hardware and computers and procedures they will employ during their first days on board the outpost.

  Mission Specialist Pat Forrester will use Discovery's robot arm to move the Italian-built Leonardo cargo module from the shuttle's payload bay to the nadir docking port of the Station's Unity module so it can be unloaded of more than three tons of supplies and equipment for the newly arrived Expedition Three crew. Leonardo also contains racks of scientific experiments which will greatly enhance the scientific research on board the ISS over the next few months. Leonardo will be installed on the Station late this morning.

  Other equipment will be transferred throughout the day from Discovery's middeck lockers to the ISS as the crews work in concert to set the stage for the Expedition Three mission.

  The joined spacecraft are orbiting at an average altitude of about 244 statute miles, completing an orbit of the Earth every 90 minutes. Both craft are in good condition.

• 2001 Aug 13 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #07 

  The International Space Station's third resident crew officially took control of the complex at 2:15 p.m. CDT today, when confirmation was given by the new station commander that all transfer activities associated with the custom-made Soyuz capsule seat liners had been completed and leak checks on their Russian Sokol space suits was verified.

  That marked the end of the Expedition Two crew's stay on the station at 148 days since it took over for the first resident crew on March 18. By the time the Expedition Two crew lands aboard Discovery next week, Yury Usachev, Jim Voss and Susan Helms will have spent 163 days aboard the station and 167 days in space.

  The official ceremonial handover of command of the ISS from Usachev to Culbertson will take place Aug. 20, shortly before Discovery undocks from the Station.

  The systematic swap of the seat liners and space suits occurred in and around the installation of the Leonardo Multipurpose Pressurized Logistics Module onto the station. Leonardo is one of three cargo supply vessels designed to deliver food, clothing, experiments and other hardware to and from the station throughout its orbital life. It was attached to the station at 10:55 a.m. CDT and its hatch opened at 2:47 p.m. CDT.

  Now that the official crew transfer is complete, the Expedition Three crew of Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin will begin a comprehensive handover with their departing counterparts, receiving briefings on station systems, the current configuration of hardware and computers and procedures they will employ during their first days on board the outpost.

  The crew will be awakened at 4:10 a.m. CDT Tuesday to continue the unloading of more than three tons of supplies and experiments from Leonardo. At 2 p.m. CDT Tuesday, the two station commanders, Culbertson and Usachev, will take part in an interview from space with television networks. The interview will air live on NASA TV.

  The joined spacecraft are orbiting at an average altitude of about 244 statute miles, completing an orbit of the Earth every 90 minutes.

• 2001 Aug 14 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #08 

  Discovery's crewmembers, including their new Expedition Two crewmates from the International Space Station, were awakened at 4:10 a.m. Central time to the theme from the movie, "Arthur", to begin a day highlighted by the transfer of equipment and supplies to the station from Discovery and from the pressurized cargo carrier the shuttle brought into space.

  The wakeup music was for Discovery Commander Scott Horowitz from his wife.

  The Expedition Two crew became members of Discovery's crew yesterday after Expedition Three Commander Frank Culbertson and cosmonauts Mikhail Tyurin and Vladimir Dezhurov transferred their personal seat liners to the Soyuz spacecraft docked to the station, officially beginning the third Expedition aboard the orbital outpost.

  Several tons of equipment, food and supplies for the new station crew will be unloaded today from the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, which was attached to the Unity module of the station yesterday. The two Expedition crews will begin extensive discussions today in a handover of operations, enabling the new residents to familiarize themselves with station systems and life on board the expanding complex.

  Later today, Usachev and Dezhurov will spend some time loading updated software into the computers of the Zvezda Service Module. The new software is designed to create greater efficiency in Russian commanding of systems in their segment of the station.

  Discovery also will perform a reboost of the station this afternoon, increasing its average altitude by around two statute miles. At 2 p.m. Usachev and Culbertson will discuss the progress of the flight with three television networks in a series of interviews to be broadcast on NASA Television.

  Discovery and the station are orbiting at an average altitude of about 244 statute miles, orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes.

• 2001 Aug 14 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #09 

  By mid afternoon, the entire contents of the Leonardo logistics module had been temporarily stowed aboard the International Space Station as the Expedition Three crew continued to learn about life on the orbiting complex.

  During the day, the shuttle's thrusters were fired 240 times to subtly boost the station's orbit by about 2 miles over the course of one hour. At least one more 30 minute-long reboost is planned before Discovery departs early next week.

  Several tons of equipment, food and supplies for the new station crew of Frank Culbertson, Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin were moved to the station, while the two Expedition crews began extensive discussions of operations, enabling the new residents to familiarize themselves with station systems and life on board the ISS.

  Late in the day, Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev and Dezhurov updated software in the computers of the Zvezda Service Module to create greater efficiency in Russian commanding of systems in their segment of the station.

  The Mission Control wakeup call to the shuttle and station is scheduled for 4:10 a.m. CDT Wednesday. The joint crews will continue to pack items in Leonardo for the return trip home next week, while stowing those items now aboard the station.

  Discovery and the station are orbiting at an average altitude of 244 statute miles, orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes.

• 2001 Aug 15 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #10 

  Discovery's astronauts were awakened shortly after 4 a.m. Central time to the sounds of "Big Boy Toys", a country and western tune by Aaron Tippin, selected for Pilot Rick Sturckow by his wife.

  The wakeup call began a day that will focus on preparations for the first of two space walks by Mission Specialists Dan Barry and Pat Forrester on Thursday, while members of the International Space Station Expedition Two crew will continue the handover of station operations to their Expedition Three replacements.

  The crews also have time scheduled for logistical activities, including the transfer of more equipment and supplies from Discovery to the station and the transfer of discarded station equipment to Leonardo, the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, which was installed on the station on Monday. The 7,000 pounds of material carried into space aboard Leonardo, including two scientific experiment racks for the U.S. Laboratory Destiny, has been unloaded.

  Sturckow will assist Barry and Forrester as they checkout their spacesuits and space walking tools for their planned 61/2-hour excursion outside Discovery tomorrow. During the space walk, Barry and Forrester will install the Early Ammonia Servicer on the station's P6 truss structure. It contains spare ammonia that could be used in the station's cooling system should the need arise. They will also attach an experiment to the station to expose samples of engineering materials to the space environment. The samples will be returned to Earth for analysis in about a year.

  A second space walk will be conducted by Barry and Forrester Saturday to hook up heater cables for a truss structure which will be delivered to the station next year.

  Hatches between Discovery and the station will swing shut around 4:30 Central time this afternoon in advance of tomorrow's space walk

  Earlier today, Russian flight controllers successfully completed the reloading of upgraded software into the computers of the Zvezda Service Module in preparation for next month's arrival of a new module to the station -- the Russian Docking Compartment -- which will serve as a new docking port for visiting Russian vehicles.

  Additionally, everything remains on schedule for the launch next week of a new unmanned Progress resupply vehicle to the station, carrying more supplies and hardware for the new Expedition Three crew. The Progress will be launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday and will link up to the station on Aug. 23.

  Discovery and the station are orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes at an average altitude of 244 statute miles with no systems issues being worked by the flight control team.

• 2001 Aug 15 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #11 

  The hatches swung closed between Discovery and the International Space Station at 4:52 this afternoon Central time so that the shuttle's cabin pressure could be lowered in preparation for a space walk Thursday by Dan Barry and Pat Forrester.

  In preparation for that Extravehicular Activity (EVA), the crew spent part of the day checking out the suits that will be worn for the planned six and a half hour excursion to install an ammonia servicing unit on the outside of the station. It contains spare ammonia that could be used in the station's cooling system if needed. They also will attach an experiment to the station to expose samples of engineering materials to the space environment. The samples will be returned to Earth for analysis in about a year.

  A second space walk currently is planned for Saturday to hook up heater cables for the first of several girder-like truss structures, that will be delivered to the station next year.

  Meanwhile, members of the station's Expedition Two crew continued the handover of station operations to their Expedition Three replacements. Throughout the handover, the stowage of equipment and supplies inside the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module continued. Some 5,200 pounds of supplies was confirmed on board the station and will be unpacked and stowed by the Expedition Three crew after Discovery departs early next week.

  Early in the day, Russian flight controllers completed the reloading of upgraded software into the computers of the Zvezda module in preparation for next month's arrival of a new module to the station, the Russian Docking Compartment, which will serve as a new docking port for visiting Russian vehicles.

  The Russian flight control team continues to track preparations of a Soyuz spacecraft set to deliver the next Progress supply vehicle to the station. Launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan remains targeted for Tuesday with docking Aug. 23.

  Early Thursday morning, the Expedition Three crew of Frank Culbertson, Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin plan to televise a commemorative message marking the one-thousandth day in space for the International Space Station. It was Nov. 20, 1998 when the first element - Zarya - was launched atop a Proton rocket initiating the construction of the orbiting outpost.

  Discovery and the station are orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes at an average altitude of 246 statute miles with no systems issues being worked by the flight control team.

• 2001 Aug 16 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #12 

  On the 1000th day since the launch of the first module of the International Space Station, Discovery's astronauts were awakened shortly after 4 a.m. Central time to the sounds of "The Marvelous Toy" by Tom Paxton for Mission Specialist Dan Barry from his wife.

  Barry and crewmate Pat Forrester will conduct the first space walk of Discovery's flight to the International Space Station at around 9:30 this morning to install the Early Ammonia Servicer on the station's P6 truss structure. The servicing unit contains spare ammonia that could be used in the station's cooling system, if needed.

  They also will attach an experiment to the station to expose samples of materials to the space environment. Carrying the acronym MISSE, for Materials International Space Station Experiment, it contains about 1,500 samples of materials in two suitcase-like containers. The samples will remain outside the station for about a year, then will be returned to Earth for analysis.

  Discovery Commander Scott Horowitz will operate the shuttle's robotic arm during the space walk. Pilot Rick Sturckow will serve as the space walk choreographer from inside the shuttle's cabin during the 61/2-hour space walk, which will be staged from Discovery's airlock.

  A second space walk is planned for Saturday. Barry and Forrester will hook up heater cables for another truss structure to be delivered to the station next year.

  Aboard the ISS, the computers of the Zvezda Service Module once again commanded the station's gyroscopes to assume control of the orientation of the complex at around 5 a.m. after Russian flight controllers completed their loading of upgraded software commands to those computers. In the meantime, Discovery maintained control of the complex until the computer upgrades were completed with no impact to station operations.

  While Barry and Forrester conduct their space walk, the Expedition Three crew, Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin, will continue stowage of equipment and supplies inside the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module for return to Earth. The Italian-built pressurized module brought almost 7,000 pounds of equipment, supplies and two scientific experiment racks to the station.

  At 7:10 this morning, Culbertson and his crewmates plan to offer a few commemorative words to mark the 1000th day in space for the International Space Station since the Zarya module was launched on November 20, 1998 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

  Discovery and the station are orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes at an average altitude of 244 statute miles with all systems functioning normally.

• 2001 Aug 16 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #13 

  Astronauts Dan Barry and Pat Forrester completed the first of two planned space walks during Discovery's voyage to the International Space Station. The excursion lasted 6 hours, 16 minutes and involved installing the Early Ammonia Servicer and the first external experiment on the station's hull. The servicer contains spare ammonia that can be used in the space station's cooling systems if needed. The Materials ISS Experiment (pronounced 'missy' by its acronym) will expose 750 material samples to the space environment for about 18 months before being returned home late next year. During the space walk, Discovery's Commander Scott Horowitz operated the shuttle robot arm, and Pilot Rick Sturckow choreographed the space walk from the orbiter's flight deck. This was the 25th space walk devoted to the construction of the space station and the 12th this year. Barry and Forrester will perform the mission's second space walk on Saturday to hook up heater cables for another truss structure to be delivered to the station next year. Mission managers Friday will evaluate the consumables onboard Discovery and assess the progress made by the crews in transferring items into the Leonardo logistics module from the station before making a determination as to whether the docked phase of the flight should be extended by one day.

  Earlier today, the computers inside the Zvezda module once again assumed control of the station's attitude - or position in space -- after Russian flight controllers completed the loading of upgraded software commands to those computers. In the meantime, Discovery maintained control of the complex until the computer upgrades were completed with no impact to station operations.

  The Expedition Three crew --Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin -- earlier today offered commemorative remarks on the occasion of the 1000th day in space for the International Space Station since the Zarya module was launched on Nov. 20, 1998 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

  Discovery and the station are orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes at an average altitude of 244 statute miles with all systems functioning normally.

• 2001 Aug 17 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #14 

  The ten astronauts and cosmonauts aboard Discovery and the International Space Station will focus on transfer activities today, continuing to place equipment, discarded items and belongings of the Expedition Two crew aboard the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo for return to Earth.

  Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms will continue handover briefings with the Expedition Three crew. The new station commander, Frank Culbertson, and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Tyurin and Vladimir Dezhurov have taken up residence aboard the station. The Expedition Two crewmembers, who spent more than five months on the station, will return home aboard Discovery next week.

  Aboard Discovery, Commander Scott Horowitz, Pilot Rick Sturckow, and Mission Specialists Pat Forrester and Dan Barry, along with the Expedition Two crewmembers, were awakened at 4:10 a.m. Central time to the sounds of "Time Bomb", a song performed for Forrester by his sons, Patrick and Andrew.

  On the heels of their successful space walk yesterday to install an ammonia coolant reservoir and a suite of experiments on the station, Barry and Forrester will be reviewing procedures and will check out hardware for the mission's second space walk on Saturday to hook up heater cables for a truss structure to be delivered to the station next year

  Horowitz and Sturckow will perform the mission's second reboost of the station this morning, this one to raise the ISS' altitude by about two statute miles. The three Russian crewmembers aboard the shuttle/station complex will field questions from Russian reporters at the Russian Mission Control Center outside Moscow at 11:15 a.m. Central time. Three hours later, at 2:15 p.m., all ten crewmembers will hold a news conference with U.S. reporters at NASA centers. At 3 p.m., the crewmembers will gather for a change of command ceremony on the station as Expedition Two Commander Usachev passes the baton to Expedition Three Commander Culbertson. The formal handover of command actually occurred late Monday afternoon after the crews exchanged custom-made Soyuz seat liners for the return capsule docked to the station.

  Discovery and the station are orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes at an average altitude of 244 statute miles with systems functioning well.

• 2001 Aug 17 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #15 

  While Discovery's astronauts looked on, the Expedition Two crew ceremoniously handed command of the International Space Station to its Expedition Three replacements. The ceremony occurred just prior to closing the hatches between the two spacecraft in preparation for the final planned space walk of the STS-105 mission.

  Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms continued handover briefings with the Expedition Three crew while stowage of equipment, discarded items and belongings of the Expedition Two crew continued aboard the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module for return to Earth.

  The new station Commander, Frank Culbertson, and Russian cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin, officially took command of the station Monday afternoon to begin a four month stay on the ISS. The Expedition Two crewmembers, which spent more than five months on the station, will return home aboard Discovery next week.

  In preparation for the space walk set to begin about 9 a.m. Saturday, Dan Barry and Pat Forrester reviewed procedures and checked hardware that will be used during the excursion outside the station to hook up heater cables for a truss structure to be delivered to the station next year.

  Shuttle Commander Scott Horowitz and Pilot Rick Sturckow performed the mission's second reboost of the station early in the day, raising the average altitude of the ISS by 2.2 statute miles (3.5 kilometers). Discovery's thrusters were systematically fired 253 times over the course of an hour. It was the final reboost planned prior to Discovery's departure Monday morning.

  The crew heads to bed about 9 tonight, Central time and will be awakened by Mission Control at 4:10 a.m. CDT Saturday.

  Discovery and the station are orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes at an average altitude of 247 statute miles with all systems functioning well.

• 2001 Aug 18 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #16 

  Discovery astronauts Dan Barry and Pat Forrester will perform the second space walk of the STS-105 mission today, hooking up heating cables and installing handrails on the International Space Station's Destiny Laboratory in advance of the arrival of a large truss structure at the complex next year. Meanwhile, the new Expedition Three crew aboard the station will continue packing the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo for its return to Earth

  Discovery's astronauts, including the returning Expedition Two crew, were awakened at 4 a.m. Central time by "Hotel California," performed by the Eagles. It was requested for Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev by his wife.

  The new station crew, Commander Frank Culbertson and Cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin, are beginning a four-month stay on the station. They will be separated from Discovery's crew by closed hatches to accommodate today's space walk

  Barry and Forrester are to emerge from the shuttle's airlock a little after 9 a.m. Central time. Commander Scott Horowitz will operate the shuttle's robotic arm to move the space walkers around while Pilot Rick Sturckow will serve as the space walk choreographer.

  The heating cables Barry and Forrester will install are for the S0 truss, to be delivered to the station next year. The space walk is the 26th in support of the assembly of the International Space Station and is expected to last around 6 hours.

  Discovery and the station are orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes at an average altitude of 246 statute miles with all systems functioning well.

• 2001 Aug 18 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #17 

  Astronauts Dan Barry and Pat Forrester successfully strung two 45-foot heater cables and installed handrails down both sides of the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station today during a 5 hour, 29 minute spacewalk, setting the stage for the delivery of a large truss structure to the complex next year.

  The cables would provide backup power to the S0 truss, if needed, in the unlikely event it could not be installed in a timely fashion on the station next spring as the centerpiece for a 300-foot girder, which will serve as the backbone for the orbital outposts external experiments, solar arrays and the future mobile base for the Canadian-built station robotic arm.

  Barry and Forrester began their spacewalk at 8:42 a.m. Central time, and ended their final excursion outside Discovery at 2:11 p.m., completing the 26th spacewalk devoted to the assembly of the International Space Station, 24 of which were staged from the Shuttle, and the 68th spacewalk in Shuttle program history.

  Other spacewalk statistics following today's activity include:

  -- Total spacewalk time in Shuttle program history: 431 hours, 39 minutes. -- Total spacewalk time to assemble the ISS: 167 hours, 24 minutes. -- Total Shuttle spacewalk time for ISS assembly: 163 hours, 3 minutes. -- Total spacewalk time for the two EVAs on STS-105: 11 hours, 45 minutes.

  While the spacewalk was being conducted, Expedition Three Commander Frank Culbertson and his crewmates, Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin, continued loading the Leonardo cargo module on the station, which will be detached from the ISS Unity module Sunday and returned to Discovery's payload bay for the trip back home.

  The astronauts and cosmonauts will begin an eight-hour sleep period at about 8 tonight Central time and will be awakened at 4:10 a.m. Sunday to begin the 10th day of this mission.

  The two spacecraft are in excellent health orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of 250 statute miles.

• 2001 Aug 19 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #18 

  The ten astronauts and cosmonauts aboard Discovery and the International Space Station have started a day that will see the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo removed from the Unity node of the station and reberthed in the shuttle's cargo bay for the trip home.

  Discovery's crew, including the returning Expedition Two crewmembers, were awakened shortly after 4 a.m. Central time by the sounds of "Under the Boardwalk" by the Drifters, played for Jim Voss by his wife Suzan.

  Leonardo brought almost 7,000 pounds of material to the station, including equipment, supplies and two scientific racks for the new Expedition Three crew of Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin. Leonardo, which is one of three pressurized cargo carriers for station resupply activities provided by the Italian Space Agency, is completing its second visit to the station.

  Mission Specialist Pat Forrester will use the shuttle's robotic arm this afternoon to unberth Leonardo from the station and move it to Discovery, beginning the one-hour operation a little before 12:30 p.m. He will be backed up by Discovery Commander Scott Horowitz, who operated the arm during two successful space walks by Forrester and Dan Barry to outfit the station with critical spare equipment and scientific gear.

  Overnight, controllers reworked the crewmembers' flight plan to give them some time off this afternoon after Leonardo is returned to Discovery. The day will be highlighted by final handover discussions between the two Expedition crews before hatches are closed one last time between Discovery and the station tomorrow morning just before 7 a.m. Central time. Discovery is scheduled to undock from the ISS at 9:52 a.m. Central time Monday to set the stage for a landing at the Kennedy Space Center Wednesday afternoon, completing 167 days in space for Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev, Voss and Susan Helms.

  Meanwhile, Russian space officials are all set to launch a new Progress resupply craft to the International Space Station on Tuesday at 4:24 a.m. Central time for a docking early Thursday. The Progress will carry supplies, food and equipment for the new Expedition Three crew. The Progress currently docked to the aft end of the Zvezda Service Module will be undocked on Wednesday and commanded to a destructive reentry in Earth's atmosphere.

  Discovery and the ISS are orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of 246 statute miles with all systems functioning normally.

• 2001 Aug 19 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #19 

  With its job completed for the mission, the Leonardo cargo module packed with more than 3,000 pounds of return hardware was safely tucked back aboard Discovery this afternoon. The operation sets the stage for the shuttle's departure from the International Space Station scheduled for 9:52 a.m. CDT Monday.

  The ten crewmembers aboard Discovery and the station are spending their final day and night together prior to the farewell ceremony and hatch closing scheduled for about 7 a.m. CDT tomorrow. That follows the wakeup call from Mission Control set for 4:40 a.m.

  Leonardo brought almost 7,000 pounds of material to the station, including equipment, supplies and two scientific racks for the new Expedition Three crew of Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin. Leonardo - one of three pressurized cargo carriers provided by the Italian Space Agency - completes its second visit to the station.

  Astronaut Pat Forrester carefully removed the high-tech moving van from the station and placed it back in Discovery's payload bay at 2:15 p.m. CDT. He was backed up throughout the operation by Discovery Commander Scott Horowitz, who operated the arm during the spacewalks by Forrester and Dan Barry to outfit the station with spare equipment and scientific gear.

  Once Discovery departs, Pilot Rick Sturckow will perform a strategic fly around of the station at a distance of about 400 feet before firing thrusters shortly after 11 a.m. to depart the vicinity of the complex. Wednesday afternoon, Discovery is set to return to the Kennedy Space Center with the Expedition Two crew of Yury Usachev, Jim Voss and Susan Helms. The three departed the Florida spaceport March 8 and will return after 167 days in space.

  Meanwhile, Russian space officials are set to launch the fifth Progress resupply craft to the International Space Station Tuesday at 4:24 a.m. Central time followed by an automatic docking early Thursday. The Progress will carry supplies, food and equipment for the new Expedition Three crew. Its predecessor will be undocked Wednesday and commanded to burn up harmlessly in Earth's atmosphere.

  Discovery and the ISS are orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of 246 statute miles with all systems functioning normally.

• 2001 Aug 20 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #20 

  Crewmembers aboard Discovery and the International Space Station are spending their final hours together on a day that will see them bid farewell to one another, close hatches between the spacecraft, undock and separate to enable the new resident Expedition Three crew to begin a stay of about four months aboard the station.

  The final farewells and hatch closing are scheduled for just before 7 a.m. Central time. Discovery's crewmembers, Commander Scott Horowitz, Pilot Rick Sturckow, and Mission Specialists Pat Forrester and Dan Barry, assisted by the returning Expedition Two crew, Commander Yury Usachev and Astronauts Jim Voss and Susan Helms, will undock Discovery at 9:52 a.m. as the two craft sail over the south Pacific due west of the southern coast of Chile.

  With Sturckow at the controls, the shuttle will conduct a flyaround of the station, circling it 11/4 times before the shuttle's jets are fired at 11:12 a.m. to drop Discovery into a lower orbit for final separation from the station.

  The seven crewmembers aboard Discovery were awakened at 3:40 a.m. by the sounds of "Brand New Day," played by Sting. The song was for Helms, requested by her family and friends. She and her Expedition Two crewmates are wrapping up five and a half months on orbit.

  Parked in Discovery's cargo bay is Leonardo, the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module that brought 7,300 pounds of material to the station, including equipment, supplies and two scientific racks. It is returning to Earth with almost 2 tons of unneeded equipment from the station, trash and personal effects of the Expedition Two crew.

  Expedition Three Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin are beginning a science-intensive increment that is scheduled to end with their replacement by the Expedition Four crew late this year.

  Also on today's schedule for Discovery's crewmembers after undocking is the deployment of a small science satellite called Simplesat, designed to evaluate the use of inexpensive commercially available hardware in space. It is designed to demonstrate GPS attitude control and pointing in free flight. It will be spring-ejected from a canister at the rear of the Shuttle's cargo bay.

  The Russians are all set to launch an unmanned Progress resupply craft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan tomorrow at 4:24 a.m. Central time. It is the fifth Progress to be launched to the station, and is scheduled to dock a little after 5 a.m. on Thursday, the day after the current Progress attached to the ISS is undocked from the rear of the Zvezda Service Module to burn up in the atmosphere with its load of trash.

  Discovery and the ISS are circling the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of 246 statute miles. All systems are functioning well.

• 2001 Aug 20 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #21 

  Discovery's astronauts, now consisting of the Expedition Two crew, bid farewell to the International Space Station and the Expedition Three crew and undocked from the complex at 9:52 a.m. CDT Monday after more than a week of joint operations. Frank Culbertson, Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin now will settle in to oversee activities on the station for the next four months.

  The final farewells and hatch closing occurred at 7 a.m. Central Monday just prior to closing the hatches and conducting leak checks between the two vehicles. Under control of Pilot Rick Sturckow, Discovery gently backed away from the station to a distance of about 450 feet. At that point, Sturckow performed a fly-around of the complex allowing for photo documentation and a final look by Yury Usachev, Jim Voss and Susan Helms at their home for the past five and a half months.

  Returning with Discovery is the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module that brought equipment, supplies and two scientific racks to the station. It is returning to Earth with more than a ton of equipment, experiments, personal effects and unneeded hardware.

  Also today, Discovery's crewmembers deployed a small science satellite called Simplesat, designed to evaluate the use of inexpensive commercially available hardware in space. It is designed to demonstrate Global Positioning System attitude control and pointing in free flight. It was spring-ejected from a canister at the rear of the Shuttle's cargo bay.

  Tuesday is a day devoted to packing up the orbiter and checking its landing systems for the planned return to the Kennedy Space Center Wednesday. Landing is set for just before Noon Central time with weather conditions expected to be favorable with light winds and only a slight chance of rain predicted in the area.

  Meanwhile, on the steppe of the Kazak desert, a Soyuz rocket is poised to launch an unmanned Progress supply ship to the station tomorrow at 4:24 a.m. Central time. It is the fifth Progress to be launched to the station, and is scheduled to dock a little after 5 a.m. Thursday, the day after the current Progress attached to the ISS is undocked from the rear of the Zvezda module to burn up in the atmosphere.

  The two spacecraft are at slightly different orbits, circling the Earth every 90 minutes. All systems are in excellent shape.

• 2001 Aug 21 - Progress M-45  Spacecraft: Progress M. Payload: Progress M s/n 245. Mass: 7,250 kg (15,980 lb). Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz. Duration: 93.50 days. Perigee: 193 km (119 mi). Apogee: 245 km (152 mi). Inclination: 51.70 deg.

  ISS Servicing Mission. Launch delayed from July 4 and 24. Progress M-45, 7K-TGM No. 245 (of the older generation series of Progress) docked with the ISS at 0951 GMT on August 23 at the aft Zvezda port vacated by Progress M6-1 a day earlier. It and delivered 2.5 tonnes of fuel, water, oxygen, equipment and spare parts. Progress M-45 undocked on November 22 and was deorbited over the Pacific later the same day.

• 2001 Aug 21 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #22 

  With Discovery 500 miles ahead of the International Space Station, and increasing that distance by more than 50 miles with each orbit of the Earth, the STS-105 and returning Expedition Two crewmembers are preparing for a Wednesday landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

  Discovery Commander Scott Horowitz, Pilot Rick Sturckow, and Mission Specialists Pat Forrester and Dan Barry, along with Expedition Two crewmembers Commander Yury Usachev, and Astronauts Jim Voss and Susan Helms, were awakened at 3:10 a.m. CDT to the sounds of "East Bound and Down" by Jerry Reed, at the request of their Houston-based training team.

  Activities on board Discovery will focus on tomorrow's planned return trip to Earth as the astronauts stow away the equipment and hardware used during their mission and verify the performance of Discovery's landing systems. Horowitz, Sturckow and Barry will conduct the standard day-before-landing checkouts of the flight control surfaces, the rudder and flaps that will control the shuttle during its descent through the atmosphere.

  Later in the day, they will set up three recumbent seats on Discovery's middeck for use by the returning Expedition Two crewmembers during Wednesday's re-entry. The seats are designed to minimize the forces of reentry after their more than five months in space.

  Expedition Three crewmembers Frank Culbertson, Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin, were awakened about 12:30 a.m. to begin their first day alone aboard the space station. The day's plan includes activation and checkout of Express Rack 4 - one of two scientific racks for the U.S. laboratory Destiny delivered during STS-105 - exercise and a review of plans for unloading the next Russian unpiloted cargo carrier, Progress 5, scheduled to arrive at the station Thursday morning.

  Crewmembers also activated the current Progress vehicle, docked at the rear of the station's Zvezda module, before closing the hatches that connect it to the station. Progress 4 is scheduled to be undocked from the station shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday. The new Progress supply ship - Progress 5 - was launched on a Soyuz rocket at 4:24 a.m. today from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and is scheduled to dock at the station about 5 a.m. Thursday with its cargo of fuel, food and equipment.

  Discovery is circling the Earth every 90 minutes at an average altitude of about 240 statute miles. Systems aboard the shuttle and the International Space Station are functioning well.

• 2001 Aug 21 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #23 

  With its systems checked out in excellent shape, Space Shuttle Discovery with its seven-person crew that includes the Expedition Two crew, is set to return home at 11:46 a.m. Central time to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, wrapping up a five and a half month stay on the International Space Station. A second landing opportunity is available an hour and a half later at 1:23 p.m. CDT.

  Leading the station now by more than a thousand miles, Discovery's aero surfaces and maneuvering engines were tested early today by the shuttle's Commander Scott Horowitz and Pilot Rick Sturckow while the remaining crewmembers busily prepared the cabin for the high-speed reentry.

  Late in the day, the reclining seats that will be occupied by Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev, and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms were put into position on the orbiter's middeck. The reclined position has been proven to be the most comfortable method of return to Earth from space by long duration crewmembers.

  Weather forecasters are predicting favorable conditions in Central Florida for Discovery's return to Earth, prompting mission managers to forego calling up support at the backup landing site in California.

  To prepare for deorbit and landing activities, the shuttle crew will awaken at 3:10 a.m. Wednesday and start deorbit preparations about 6:45 a.m. The payload bay doors are to be closed at about 8 a.m. with the deorbit firing of the twin Orbital Maneuvering System engines on the tail of Discovery targeted for 10:37 a.m.

  While Discovery was readied for the trip home, the Expedition Three crew of Frank Culbertson, Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin activated one of the two scientific racks delivered by Discovery's crew. The crew also prepared for the undocking of a Progress supply vehicle docked to the station since late May. The undocking is set for 1:05 a.m. Wednesday to make room for the next Progress already on its way following launch at 4:24 a.m. today from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. As was its four predecessors, the 5 Progress is loaded with fuel, food and other equipment for use by the Expedition Three crew.

  The launch pad now is free for the next launch of a Soyuz Sept. 15 delivering the Russian Docking Compartment to the station.

  Discovery is circling the Earth every 90 minutes at an average altitude of about 240 statute miles. Systems aboard it and the International Space Station are in excellent shape.

• 2001 Aug 22 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #24 

  With crewmembers aboard Discovery ready for their return to Earth, the new Expedition Three crew aboard the International Space Station prepared for the arrival of a Progress resupply vehicle early tomorrow morning.

  Discovery is about 1,300 statute miles ahead of the space station and widening the gap by about 50 miles per 90-minute orbit. The seven-member crew - Commander Scott Horowitz, Pilot Rick Sturckow, Mission Specialists Dan Barry and Pat Forrester, along with the returning Expedition Two crew members, Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss - were awakened at 3:10 a.m. CDT to begin a day with two landing opportunities at Florida's Kennedy Space Center. Weather conditions in Florida hold promise for today's landing, but the entry team of flight controllers will be watching for a chance of rain near the landing site.

  The first opportunity would see a deorbit burn at 10:37 a.m., resulting in an 11:46 a.m. CDT (12:46 p.m. EDT) landing. Discovery would descend across southern Mexico, cross the Bay of Campeche, skirt the northwestern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, and cross the Gulf of Mexico before making landfall on Florida's western coast. For the second opportunity, the deorbit burn would occur at 12:17 p.m. The shuttle would cross northern Mexico, descend over the Rio Grande near Laredo, and fly along the Gulf Coast before crossing the Florida peninsula for a 1:23 p.m. landing.

  Aboard the International Space Station, the Expedition Three crew - Commander Frank Culbertson and Cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin - were awakened a little after midnight for the undocking of the Progress 4 vehicle. That spacecraft was moved to make way for the Progress 5 cargo vehicle which launched at 4:24 a.m. Tuesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and is scheduled to dock at the rear of the space station's Zvezda Service Module about 5 a.m. tomorrow.

  Progress 4 docked to the space station last May 22 with a cargo of equipment, food, fuel and spare computer parts. After unloading, it was refilled with trash. Just before 1 a.m. flight controllers at Moscow's Mission Control Center sent the command for it to undock. About three minutes later, springs pushed it away from the station, and three minutes after that, Progress jet thrusters were fired to increase the separation rate. At about 4 a.m. a deorbit burn command initiated its descent to fiery destruction in the Earth's atmosphere.

  Discovery is circling the Earth every 90 minutes at an average altitude of about 240 statute miles. Systems aboard the shuttle and the space station are functioning well.

• 2001 Aug 22 - STS-105 Mission Status Report #25 

  Discovery touched down at the Kennedy Space Center today at 1:23 p.m. concluding a successful mission to carry new residents to the International Space Station and return the Expedition Two crew following 167 days in space.

  Following a one-orbit wave-off due to a rain shower that popped up off the end of the landing strip, STS-105 Commander Scott Horowitz fired Discovery's engines to begin the shuttle's return through the atmosphere, concluding a 4.3 million mile voyage. On Discovery's middeck, the Expedition Two crew - Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms - rode home in recumbent seats designed to lessen the effects of gravity.

  Following routine medical examinations, the STS-105 crew - Horowitz, Pilot Rick Sturckow and Mission Specialists Dan Barry and Pat Forrester - along with the Expedition Two crew, will be reunited with their families. All seven crewmembers are expected back in Houston about 5 p.m. Thursday for a public welcome home ceremony at Ellington Field.

  During their 12 days on orbit, the STS-105 astronauts worked with both the returning Expedition Two crew and newly-arrived Expedition Three crew to transfer more than two tons of experiment hardware, food and logistical supplies between Discovery and the station. In addition, Barry and Forrester performed two spacewalks to prepare the station for future growth.

  In the meantime, aboard the International Space Station, the Expedition Three crew - Commander Frank Culbertson and Cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin - are preparing for the arrival of a Progress 5 cargo vehicle which is scheduled to dock to the aft docking port of the Zvezda module of the Station about 5 a.m. tomorrow.

• 2001 Aug 23 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-25 

  Just hours after the return of the Expedition Two crew to the Kennedy Space Center, the Expedition Three crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) received new supplies and fuel this morning following the flawless docking of a Progress resupply freighter.

  The unmanned Progress 5 craft linked up to the aft docking port of the Zvezda Service Module at 4:51 a.m. Central time (951 GMT) after an automated two-day excursion following its launch Tuesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The docking occurred over Central Asia.

  Within a few minutes after docking, hooks and latches were commanded to close between the Progress and Zvezda, forming a hard mate and a tight seal between the two craft. Hatches between the two vehicles will be opened later today, enabling Station Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin to unload some 3000 pounds of supplies and personal effects.

  The arrival of the Progress vehicle at the Station sets the stage for the launch of the next module for the outpost next month --- the Russian Docking Compartment named Pirs, the Russian word for pier. The Docking Compartment will automatically link up to the nadir, or earthward facing docking port of Zvezda two days after launch, providing an additional docking port for future Russian vehicles arriving at the ISS.

  At the Kennedy Space Center, Expedition Two Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Jim Voss and Susan Helms are in excellent shape, readapting to gravity and enjoying life back on Earth after167 days in space, 163 days of which were spent aboard the ISS. They are scheduled to return to Ellington Field in Houston late this afternoon with their Discovery crewmates, Commander Scott Horowitz, Pilot Rick Sturckow and Mission Specialists Pat Forrester and Dan Barry following yesterday's landing of Discovery at the Florida spaceport.

  In addition to attending to the newly arrived Progress craft, the Expedition Three crew continues to oversee a variety of science investigations.

  The International Space Station (ISS) is orbiting at an altitude averaging 240 miles (385 km).

• 2001 Aug 29 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-26 

  Well into their four-month stay on board the International Space Station (ISS), the Expedition Three crew continues to unpack and stow equipment from the Russian Progress cargo ship that arrived at the outpost nearly a week ago. Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin have almost completely emptied the Progress 5 craft, stowing new supplies inside the ISS.

  The arrival of the Progress vehicle at the Station sets the stage for the launch of the next module for the outpost next month --- the Russian Docking Compartment named Pirs, the Russian word for pier. The Docking Compartment will automatically link up to the nadir, or earthward facing docking port of Zvezda two days after launch, providing an additional docking port for future Russian vehicles arriving at the ISS. A Progress-style instrumentation and propulsion stage attached to Pirs, which will provide the new module with its thruster capability to reach the ISS, will be jettisoned shortly after the new component docks to Zvezda.

  The crew members are also working on unpacking equipment recently delivered on the STS-105 shuttle mission. They installed the Volatile Organic Analyzer (VOA) this week and will activate it later this week. The VOA is designed to sample the air inside the ISS, detecting and identifying any possible contaminants. Flight controllers at Mission Control, Houston will command the VOA to take daily local samples of the air. The Expedition Three Crew can also take remote air samples from anywhere in the ISS.

  One of the voltage converter units in the Zvezda associated with one of eight power-producing batteries for the Service Module was successfully replaced this week after it recently experienced a problem. All of Zvezda's systems are functioning normally.

  In addition to attending to the new supplies, the Expedition Three crew continues to oversee a variety of science investigations.

  The International Space Station (ISS) is orbiting at an altitude averaging 240 miles (385 km).

• 2001 Sep 5 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-27 

  After completing a three-day holiday weekend of light activities that provided time to settle into their new home, members of the International Space Station crew this week began a busy slate of scientific work, performed some minor repairs and maintenance, and prepared for the continued expansion of the orbiting complex with the upcoming launch of a new Russian module.

  Expedition Three Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin are in the fourth week of a four-month stay aboard the station. Much of their time was devoted to experiment work this week, uninterrupted by any station system problems. Some minor repairs were accomplished by the crew and included a check of wiring that proved a treadmill is usable for exercise sessions onboard; tightening of a connection in a station air conditioning system that stopped a minute freon leak; and the installation of a new videotape recorder in the Destiny Laboratory, replacing a recorder that had failed.

  Early this morning, flight controllers assisted the crew as the station's orientiation was changed slightly to allow the Sun to continue to fully shine on the complex's solar arrays. As the seasons change, the angle of the sun relative to the station also changes. The sun had previously been fairly low to the southern horizon relative to the station, and the complex was oriented so as to point the arrays south toward the sun. The sun has grown higher in the sky relative to the station now and the complex today was moved back to an orientation that has the arrays perpendicular to the station's direction of travel, a more naturally stable orientation that is preferred for the complex when possible. Such orientation adjustments are performed regularly to optimize power generation. Later today, Culbertson maneuvered the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm into position to allow its television cameras to focus on a dump of waste water from vents on the Destiny Lab that is planned to be performed on Friday. About five gallons of water will be dumped overboard in 10 minutes, and the behavior of the expelled water crystals will be recorded. The crew also will document station surfaces with both television and still photography both before and after the water dump. Water has been dumped from the Destiny vents before, but Friday's activities will allow engineers to better characterize how well the jettisoned water clears the vicinity of the station.

  Scientific work on the station this week has been highlighted by the completion of a human cell culture experiment that has grown colon, kidney and ovarian cancer cells in space to be used in medical research when returned to Earth late this year. The crew also installed equipment in preparation for a series of tests to characterize a vibration isolation system that will dampen disturbances to very sensitive experiments aboard the station. In addition, the crew continued to gather data from a host of investigations of the radiation environment in orbit and monitored the status of other studies.

  Flight controllers and the crew are preparing for the continued assembly of the station next week with the planned launch of a new Russian station component from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Liftoff of a Soyuz rocket carrying the Pirs Docking Compartment, a Russian airlock and docking port, is planned for about 6:35 p.m. CDT Sept. 14. The Pirs compartment, which is the Russian word for pier, is planned to dock with the station at about 8:08 p.m. CDT Sept. 16, attaching to an Earth-facing port on the station's Zvezda living quarters module.

  The International Space Station (ISS) is orbiting at an average altitude of 240 statute miles (385 km).

• 2001 Sep 13 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-28 

  On board the International Space Station, the Expedition Three crew, Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin continue their work aboard the orbiting laboratory.

  The Expedition Three crew is in its fifth week of a four-month stay aboard the space station. The crew is continuing to work with a variety of scientific experiments aboard the station and perform periodic maintenance on station systems as required. The crew and flight controllers are preparing for Friday's launch of a new Russian station component from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Liftoff of the Soyuz rocket carrying the Pirs Docking Compartment, a Russian airlock and docking port, is planned for 6:35 p.m. Central time September 14. Pirs, the Russian word for pier, is scheduled to dock with the station at 8:08 p.m. September 16, at an Earth-facing port on the station's Zvezda module.

  Last Friday, the crew released about five gallons of wastewater from vents on the Destiny Lab to allow ground controllers to study the behavior of the expelled water crystals. The crew also took the first measurements for the PuFF experiment that is studying the function of an astronaut's lungs over the course of a long-duration space flight. The crew tested their lung capacity using equipment in the Human Research Facility Rack.

  The International Space Station (ISS) is orbiting at an average altitude of 240 statute miles (385 km).

  Early Wednesday morning, the crew sent down video taken Tuesday of the smoke plume rising from the World Trade Center area. The crew also sent down a view of the New York City area filmed shortly before sunrise this morning. Yesterday, Culbertson also extended his condolences to the victims of the New York attack saying, "Our prayers and thoughts go out to all the people there, and everywhere else. Here I am looking up and down the East Coast to see if I can see anything else, and to the people in Washington."

• 2001 Sep 14 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-29 

  On its way to provide additional capabilities to the International Space Station, the Russian Docking Compartment lifted off from the Baikonour Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan today. Pirs, the Russian word for pier, was successfully launched atop a Russian Soyuz rocket at 6:35 p.m. CDT.

  Expedition Three Commander Frank Culbertson reported that he was able to see the rocket climbing into orbit as the station was orbiting 250 miles up, southwest of the Caspian Sea. He said it was the first time he had witnessed such an event from orbit.

  Using its Progess-style instrumentation and propulsion stage, Pirs will navigate its way to the ISS for a fully automatic docking planned at 8:08 p.m. CDT on Sunday, September 16.

  Culbertson and crewmates Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin spent some time this week preparing for the arrival of Pirs. Preparation tasks included checking out the automated and manual docking systems and configuring the outside cameras to view the Docking Compartment's approach.

  The crew also practiced using the manual docking system to complete the rendezvous, which would occur only if there were a problem with the automatic system. Thursday night, flight controllers in Houston and Moscow completed a ground-controlled docking test. In that test, Mission Control in Houston handed over attitude control authority to the Zvezda module's motion control system. Russian flight controllers commanded the Zvezda control thrusters to fire and rotate the station to the docking attitude. After going into a free drift mode, the Russian control system then moved the station back to its normal attitude and handed control back to the U.S control moment gyroscopes.

  The new Russian component will serve as an additional docking port for future Russian vehicles arriving at the station, an added stowage area and also as an airlock for the Russian segment. Three spacewalks are to be conducted in October from Pirs by the Expedition Three crew - two by Dezhurov and Tyurin and one by Culbertson and Dezhurov - to electrically mate the Docking Compartment to Zvezda and install more equipment on the outside of the module.

  The crew will be shifting its sleep period, going to bed at 7:30 a.m. CDT Sunday, just six and a half hours after awakening. The crew will awaken again at 4 p.m. CDT and immediately begin final preparations for the docking about four hours later.

  In addition to preparing for the arrival of the new component, crewmembers have been monitoring many science activities. Oversight of science investigations on the station from the ground is handled by the Payload Operations Center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. the Human Research Facility is managed by the Johnson Space Center.

  The International Space Station (ISS) is orbiting at an average altitude of 240 statute miles (385 km).

• 2001 Sep 14 - Progress M-SO1  Spacecraft: Progress M-SO. Payload: Progress M-SO1 s/n 301. Mass: 6,900 kg (15,200 lb). Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz. Duration: 12.00 days. Perigee: 388 km (241 mi). Apogee: 394 km (245 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg.

  Progress M-SO1 was the designation given to the service module section of a Progress M; the 3900 kg Pirs docking and airlock module for the ISS replaced the standard cargo and fuel sections. It also carried an astronaut chair, a space suit, a small crane, and some equipment for the Zvezda module of the ISS. Progress-M No. 301 was launched into an initial 180 km circular orbit. By September 16 it had maneuvered into a 238 x 264 km orbit; by 0038 GMT on September 17, a 385 x 395 km x 51.6 deg orbit upon rendezvous with the ISS. The Progress began a fly around of the station and lined up with the nadir port on Zvezda. Docking of Pirs with Zvezda came at 0105 GMT on September 17. The Progress M-SO1 later undocked from the Pirs nadir port to leave it free for future dockings. Pirs gave extra clearance from the Station for ships docking underneath Zvezda, and was also used as an airlock for spacewalks using the Russian Orlan EVA suits. Progress M-SO1 service module undocked from the Pirs module at 1536 GMT on September 26 and was deorbited over the Pacific at 2330 GMT the same day.

• 2001 Sep 16 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-30 

  The International Space Station gained another entryway tonight when Pirs, the new Russian docking compartment, docked automatically to a port on the Zvezda service module at 8:05 p.m. CDT as the station orbited 250 miles above Mongolia.

  As Pirs linked up to the Zvezda module, Expedition Three Commander Frank Culbertson said, "We really felt that", describing the new component settling into its new home.

  The docking went according to plan, with the automated docking system controlling a Progress-style instrumentation and propulsion system attached to the rear of the Pirs compartment itself. The 16-foot-long, 8,000-pound module approached the station from below and behind, beginning its automated docking sequence shortly after 5:30 p.m. About 20 minutes later, the station's thrusters moved it to the proper orientation for docking. The station's large solar array wings were positioned to eliminate contamination from the jets on Pirs as it made it final approach.

  After the probe-and-drogue docking system completed capture of the incoming module and pulled the two spacecraft together, 12 active latching hooks were driven to their closed position, locking the module securely in place.

  After docking, the Expedition Three crew checked to make sure there was a good seal between the station and its new module, then began to equalize pressure between the two craft prior to the first opening of the hatch to Pirs, which was scheduled later this evening. The aft instrumentation and propulsion system locked onto the docking compartment itself will be jettisoned next month to set the stage for spacewalks by the crew to install and activate key systems for the compartment's future operation. Pirs, which is the Russian word for pier, was launched on a Soyuz rocket at 6:35 p.m. CDT Friday. The new Russian component is an additional docking port for future Russian vehicles arriving at the station, an added stowage area and an airlock for the Russian segment. Three space walks are to be conducted in October and November from Pirs by the Expedition Three crew - two by Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin and one by Culbertson and Dezhurov - to electrically mate the Docking Compartment to Zvezda and install more equipment on the outside of the module.

  The International Space Station (ISS) is orbiting at an average altitude of 240 statute miles (385 km).

• 2001 Sep 20 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-31 

  The International Space Station's Expedition Three crew - Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin - spent this week outfitting and activating the station's latest addition, a four-ton Russian airlock and docking port named Pirs that arrived at the orbiting complex Sunday.

  The 16-foot long Pirs, with a 20-foot instrumentation and propulsion segment still attached, is now docked to the Earth-facing port of the station's Zvezda service module. Pirs provides the station with an airlock for use with Russian Orlan space suits and a new docking port. The crew opened the hatch to Pirs on Sunday evening a few hours after it arrived and spent Monday and Tuesday unloading cargo and supporting equipment from the new module. On Wednesday, they removed automated rendezvous equipment, which will be returned to Earth for reuse on later missions.

  So far this week, the crew has upgraded the station's Russian software to allow control computers aboard Zvezda to work with the Pirs' systems; installed and activated Pirs' caution and warning system; set up ventilation equipment and lighting in Pirs; and tested the new computer software. All of the activities have gone smoothly, and Pirs is in excellent condition. Later this week, the crew is planned to activate Pirs' communications equipment and conduct further systems tests on the new addition.

  As well as working in Pirs, the crew has continued scientific investigations with experiments that study spinal cord reflexes during long-duration spaceflight; gauge the interactions between crewmembers and ground personnel; and characterize a system that isolates sensitive experiments from vibrations on the station. The crew also conducted physical examinations that are done periodically during the flight to gauge the effects of weightlessness.

  Oversight of science investigations on the station from the ground is handled by the Payload Operations Center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. the Human Research Facility is managed by the Johnson Space Center.

  A highlight of the work with Pirs will be the jettison of the compartment's instrumentation and propulsion segment. The segment is scheduled to be pyrotechnically detached from Pirs on Oct. 1, backed away from the station, and moved to an orbit that will have it reenter the atmosphere and burn up. That operation will set the stage for a space walk by Dezhurov and Tyurin planned for Oct. 8, the first of three space walks to be performed from Pirs using Russian space suits to continue hooking up and activating the module during Expedition Three.

  Just a few days later, on Oct. 19, the crew will relocate its Soyuz spacecraft from its present location at an Earth-facing port on the Zarya module to the new docking port on Pirs. That clears the way for the arrival of a fresh Soyuz return craft with a taxi crew of Commander Victor Afanasyev, Flight Engineer Konstantin Kozeev and Flight Engineer Claudie Haignere. The new Soyuz will be launched Oct. 21 and will dock to the station Oct. 23 for an eight-day stay.

  The International Space Station (ISS) is orbiting at an average altitude of 240 statute miles (385 km).

• 2001 Sep 26 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-32 

  The International Space Station's Expedition Three crew - Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin - is poised for the first of three planned space walks following today's successful jettison of a segment of a new docking port and airlock now attached to the orbiting complex.

  Mission controllers in Moscow fired pyrotechnic devices that activated spring pushrods to eject the 20-foot-long instrumentation and propulsion segment of the Pirs Docking Compartment at 10:36 a.m. Central time today. The segment moved away from the station at a rate of about 4 meters per second until it reached a point far enough away to fire its control system jets without contaminating the station. It then moved ahead and above the station to a distance of 24 kilometers when its thrusters were commanded to fire in a deorbit maneuver sending it into the atmosphere to burn up upon reentry. Left behind is the 16-foot long, 4-ton Pirs, which will serve as a new port for future Russian vehicles arriving at the station and as an airlock from which spacewalks will be conducted from the Russian segment of the outpost.

  Today's activity sets the stage for the first space walk from Pirs by Dezhurov and Tyurin on Oct. 8. On that space walk, the pair will use Russian Orlan space suits to connect power and data cables between the Docking Compartment and the Zvezda Service Module. A second space walk is planned Oct. 14, and a third in early November.

  Flight control teams in Houston and Moscow are working on a plan to address this week's shutdown of the Russian segment oxygen generation unit called Elektron, and an air-conditioning unit in Zvezda. Russian flight controllers are reviewing data in an attempt to determine the causes of the shutdowns and are working with their American counterparts to provide backup oxygen generation capability until the two Russian components can be repaired or replaced. The crew has about a week's worth of oxygen already in the station atmosphere, and has ample stores of oxygen from the gas tanks on the Quest Airlock as well as solid fuel oxygen candles to last for months. Other maintenance work completed by the crew this week included the replacement of 10 smoke detectors in the Zvezda module. The Elektron shutdown will have no impact on station operations.

  Meanwhile, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, a replacement Soyuz return spacecraft is being readied for launch to the station on Oct. 21. The station crew will relocate its current Soyuz spacecraft on Oct. 19 from its present location at an Earth-facing port on the Zarya module to the new docking port on Pirs to clear the way for arrival of the fresh Soyuz and a taxi crew. Commander Victor Afanasyev, Flight Engineer Konstantin Kozeev and Flight Engineer Claudie Haignere will arrive at the station Oct. 23 for an eight-day stay.

  The orbiting trio has expanded its scientific investigations into new areas, including a study of the ability of certain chemical compounds to impede the formation of kidney stones. Culbertson set up and served as the first test subject for the experiment this week, which involves ingesting pills that contain either the active compound or a placebo in an effort to determine the value of the countermeasure on a small population. Urine samples are collected, as are detailed information about the crewmember's fluid and food intake. The other two crewmembers also will participate in the experiment. The crew also continued testing the Active Rack Isolation System through a series of "shaker" tests of its ability to protect sensitive experiments from vibrations caused by everyday crew activity. Oversight of science investigations on the station from the ground is handled by the Payload Operations Center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. the Human Research Facility is managed by the Johnson Space Center.

  The station is orbiting at an average altitude of 240 statute miles (385 km).

• 2001 Oct 3 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-33 

  The International Space Station's Expedition Three crew - Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin - is spending the week preparing for the first of three spacewalks next Monday to outfit the new Pirs Docking Compartment and to attach scientific experiments to the outside of the Zvezda Service Module.

  The first spacewalk by Dezhurov and Tyurin is scheduled to begin around 10 a.m. Eastern time on Monday to hook up a cable between Pirs and Zvezda for telemetry and data transmission from Russian Orlan spacesuits, and to attach handrails, an access ladder and a cargo boom to Pirs, which serves as both a docking port for future Russian spacecraft arriving at the Station, and as an airlock for spacewalks out of the Russian segment of the outpost.

  Dezhurov and Tyurin will conduct a second spacewalk on Oct. 15 and Culbertson and Dezhurov will perform a third excursion outside the Station on Nov. 5 to complete the outfitting of Pirs.

  Dezhurov, who conducted five previous spacewalks on the Mir Space Station in 1995, and Tyurin, who will be making his first spacewalk, checked out their suits, communications gear and spacewalking tools this week and reviewed plans and timelines. This will be the first external spacewalk staged from the Station without the presence of a visiting Space Shuttle and the 27th spacewalk in support of the assembly of the complex.

  On Monday, Dezhurov and Tyurin will close hatches between the Zvezda Service Module Transfer Compartment to which Pirs is docked, and Zvezda's living quarters and the Zarya module prior to depressurizing Pirs for the first time Monday morning. Dezhurov, who will wear the Orlan spacesuit bearing the red stripes, and Tyurin, who will the suit with the blue stripes, will then float out of one of two hatches on Pirs to begin their initial spacewalk. Culbertson will monitor the spacewalk from inside Zarya, to which the Soyuz return craft is attached. He will have access to the U.S. modules to the Station during the spacewalk, but not to Zvezda. The spacewalk is expected to last at least 4 ½ hours.

  The new Docking Compartment will be used for the first time on Oct. 19, when the crew temporarily leaves the Station and boards its Soyuz rescue craft to relocate it from its current docked position on the nadir port of the Zarya module to the Pirs. The undocking and redocking of the Soyuz is expected to take about an hour to complete.

  That will set the stage for the launch of a fresh Soyuz return craft on Oct. 21 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. A taxi crew consisting of Commander Victor Afanasyev, Flight Engineer Konstantin Kozeev and Flight Engineer Claudie Haignere of CNES, the French Space Agency, will arrive at the station Oct. 23 for an eight-day stay and will return to Earth on Oct. 31 aboard the Soyuz currently at the Station.

  The orbiting trio also continued a variety of scientific investigations this week as they moved into the second half of their four-month stay on orbit. Oversight of science investigations on the station from the ground is handled by the Payload Operations Center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. the Human Research Facility is managed by the Johnson Space Center.

  With all of its systems operating in good shape, the station is orbiting at an average altitude of 240 statute miles (385 km).

• 2001 Oct 8 - EVA ISS EO-3-1  Crew: Dezhurov, Tyurin. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.21 days.

  The cosmonauts made the spacewalk from the Pirs module. The crew installed the Strela crane on the outside of Pirs and jettisoned some thermal covers. There was some difficulty in closing the Pirs hatch. power to repress (NASA rules).

• 2001 Oct 8 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-34 

  The assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) passed another major milestone today as two Russian cosmonauts executed a 4 hour, 58 minute spacewalk outside the complex to begin to outfit the Station's newest module.

  With Expedition Three Commander Frank Culbertson coordinating activities from inside the ISS, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin opened the hatch on the Pirs Docking Compartment for the first time at 9:23 a.m. Central time (1423 GMT) to hook up telemetry and data cables between Pirs and the Zvezda Service Module to which it linked up to three weeks ago, and to install handrails, an access ladder, a cargo crane, a docking target and a automated navigational antenna.

  It was the 27th spacewalk in support of the assembly of the ISS totaling 172 hours, 22 minutes, the third spacewalk staged out of the Station itself, the first external spacewalk from the ISS without the presence of a visiting Space Shuttle and the 100th spacewalk in Russian spaceflight history. It was Dezhurov's sixth spacewalk spanning two flights and the first for Tyurin, who is midway through his first flight into space.

  Moving with ease, Dezhurov and Tyurin worked leisurely and methodically through their timeline as television cameras on the Canadarm2 Station robotic arm and a camera in the Soyuz return vehicle captured spectacular views of the spacewalk.

  Because the spacewalk ran slightly longer than predicted, Dezhurov and Tyurin were unable to complete one task --- a test of the rigidity of the Strela cargo crane, using Tyurin as a mock payload. Russian flight controllers said the task would be conducted on a future spacewalk by the Expedition Three crew.

  With all of the other work successfully completed, the hatch to Pirs was closed at 2:21 p.m. Central time (1921 GMT) and the new compartment was repressurized.

  A second spacewalk by Dezhurov and Tyurin is planned for Oct. 15 to mount a series of experiments to the exterior of Zvezda designed to gather data on the effect of exposure to the space environment on engineering materials. A third spacewalk by Culbertson and Dezhurov is scheduled for November 5 to complete the exterior outfitting of Pirs.

  The new Docking Compartment will be used for the first time on Oct. 19, when the Expedition Three crew temporarily leaves the Station and boards its Soyuz rescue craft to relocate it from its current docked position on the nadir port of the Zarya module to the Pirs. The undocking and redocking of the Soyuz is expected to take about 30 minutes to complete. -2-

  That will set the stage for the launch of a fresh Soyuz return craft on Oct. 21 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. A taxi crew consisting of Commander Victor Afanasyev, Flight Engineer Konstantin Kozeev and Flight Engineer Claudie Haignere representing CNES, the French Space Agency, will arrive at the station Oct. 23 for an eight-day stay and will return to Earth on Oct. 31 aboard the Soyuz currently at the Station.

  With all of its systems operating in good shape, the station is orbiting at an average altitude of 240 statute miles (385 km).

  The orbiting trio also plans a variety of scientific investigations this coming week as they move into the second half of their four-month stay on orbit. Oversight of science investigations on the station from the ground is handled by the Payload Operations Center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. the Human Research Facility is managed by the Johnson Space Center.

• 2001 Oct 10 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-35 

  After completing one successful spacewalk, the Expedition Three crew of the International Space Station (ISS) is preparing for another, to be conducted on Monday, Oct. 15. Russian cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin will perform this one, like the one conducted last Monday, while Commander Frank Culbertson remains inside to coordinate activities. It will be the 28th spacewalk in support of the assembly of the ISS.

  Meanwhile, in Moscow's Mission Control Center, flight controllers were preparing for a reboost of the station on Thursday, using the unmanned Progress resupply vehicle's engines to increase the altitude of the ISS for the upcoming launch of a new Soyuz return vehicle to the station later this month.

  The reboost will consist of two Progress engine firings, at 5:32 a.m. CDT, then again at 10:55 a.m.

  Next Monday's spacewalk, which is scheduled to begin around 4:15 a.m. CDT, is designed to mount scientific experiments on the Zvezda Service Module analyzing the effect of micrometeroid impacts and other deteriorating effects of the harsh environment of space on engineering materials. The spacewalk will be staged from the new Pirs Docking Compartment.

  Russian and U.S. flight controllers agreed today to burn three oxygen-producing candles on the Station beginning Thursday as a test of the system. The candles, housed in special canisters, would be used in the unlikely event a problem developed with the Russian Elektron oxygen-generation system in Zvezda. The Elektron and the Russian Vozdukh carbon dioxide removal system are functioning normally.

  Last Monday's spacewalk accomplished all but one of its goals, which included installing telemetry and data cables between Pirs and Zvezda, to which it linked up to three weeks ago. Dezhurov and Tyurin also installed handrails, an access ladder, a cargo crane, a docking target and a navigational antenna.

  Because the spacewalk ran a bit longer than planned, a test of the rigidity of the newly installed Strela cargo crane on Pirs was postponed. It is expected to be performed during the third spacewalk of the Expedition by Culbertson and Dezhurov on Nov. 5. The focus of that spacewalk will be the completion of the exterior outfitting of Pirs.

  Because some discoloration was detected by Dezhurov and Tyurin near a set of thrusters on Zvezda during their spacewalk this week, U.S. and Russian station officials agreed to relocate the site of one of the experiments to be installed on Zvezda next Monday. The so-called Kromka experiment was to have been mounted on the zenith, or space-facing area of the Service Module. Now it will be installed on Zvezda's port side. The Kromka experiment is designed to study ways to minimize the dissemination of contaminate particles from spacecraft jet thrusters as they are fired, thus protecting the exterior of future spacecraft.

  Crewmembers successfully downlinked the first EarthKam photo from the station on Wednesday. The experiment allows students to select areas of the Earth to be photographed, then submit their targets via the Internet to the EarthKam control center at the University of California at San Diego for uplink to the station. Photos by the remote-controlled camera are sent to the students by the same path.

  On Oct. 19, the Expedition Three crewmembers will board the Soyuz capsule attached to the Earth-facing port of the station's Zarya module, undock it and redock it to Pirs. That will clear the Zarya port for the arrival of a replacement Soyuz to be launched Oct. 21 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with a taxi crew, consisting of Commander Victor Afanasyev, Flight Engineer Konstantin Kozeev and Flight Engineer Claudie Haignere of CNES, the French Space Agency. They will dock with the space station Oct. 23. The taxi crew will leave the station Oct. 31 in the Soyuz currently mated to the ISS.

  With systems operating well, the station is orbiting at an average altitude of 240 statute miles (385 km).

  The Expedition Three crew continues to operate and monitor scientific experiments aboard the station. Oversight of science investigations on the station from the ground is handled by the Payload Operations Center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. the Human Research Facility is managed by the Johnson Space Center.

• 2001 Oct 15 - EVA ISS EO-3-2  Crew: Dezhurov, Tyurin. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.24 days.

  The cosmonauts attached the Kromka contamination experiment and two Japanese exposure experiments to the hull of the Zvezda module. The Russian flag on Zvezda was retrieved for an exposure study and replaced with a commercial logo.

• 2001 Oct 15 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-36 

  Scientific research moved outside the International Space Station today as two Russian cosmonauts mounted a variety of instruments outside the Zvezda service module in a 5 hour, 52 minute space walk.

  Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin opened the hatch on the Pirs Docking Compartment at 4:17 a.m. Central time (917 GMT) and installed three separate sets of experiment equipment designed to learn more about the space environment around their orbiting outpost. Expedition Three Commander Frank Culbertson helped from inside, positioning Canadarm2 so that its cameras could provide television pictures of the workmen as they completed their tasks outside.

  Dezhurov and Tyurin moved hand-over-hand to work sites on the Zvezda service module, using handrails to get to a site near the back end of the module. At that location, they installed a Russian experiment called Kromka, which is designed to accumulate any contamination caused by Zvezda steering jets for analysis in the design of better thrusters for future spacecraft.

  The duo then moved on to a nearby site, where they assembled a small truss structure and attached three suitcase-sized experiment packages provided by NASDA, the Japanese space agency. The Micro-Particles Capturer will employ aerogel and foam substances to collect naturally occurring micrometeoroids and human-made orbital debris particles. A companion Space Environment Exposure Device will expose a variety of materials such as paint, insulation and solid lubricants to the harsh environment of space.

  On their way back to the Pirs hatch, they removed a placard and exposure experiment with the image of the Russian Federation flag, and replaced it with another exposure experiment as part of a commercial agreement.

  It was the 28th spacewalk in support of the assembly of the station, increasing the total to 178 hours, 14 minutes, the fourth space walk staged out of the station itself, and the 101st space walk in Russian history. It was Dezhurov's seventh space walk spanning two flights and the second for Tyurin, who is midway through his first flight into space.

  With all work successfully completed, Dezhurov and Tyurin re-entered the Pirs compartment and closed the hatch at 10:09 a.m. Central time (1509 GMT).

  A third space walk by Culbertson and Dezhurov is scheduled for November 5 to complete the exterior outfitting of Pirs, that was begun by Dezhurov and Tyurin on their first space walk of the expedition on Oct. 8.

  The new Docking Compartment docking port will be used for the first time on Oct. 19, when the Expedition Three crew temporarily leaves the station and boards its Soyuz rescue craft to relocate it from its current docked position on the nadir port of the Zarya module to the Pirs. The undocking and redocking of the Soyuz is expected to begin with a separation at 5:56 a.m. CDT (1056 GMT), and take about 30 minutes to complete, with redocking expected at 6:15 a.m. CDT (1115 GMT).

  That will set the stage for the launch of a fresh Soyuz return craft on Oct. 21 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. A taxi crew consisting of Commander Victor Afanasyev, Flight Engineer Konstantin Kozeev and Flight Engineer Claudie Haignere representing CNES, the French Space Agency, will arrive at the station Oct. 23 for an eight-day stay and will return to Earth on Oct. 31 aboard the Soyuz currently at the station.

  With all of its systems operating in good shape, the station is orbiting at an average altitude of 250 statute miles (395 km).

  The orbiting trio will continue its scientific investigations this coming week as it prepares for the relocation of the Soyuz craft. Oversight of science investigations on the station from the ground is handled by the Payload Operations Center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL. the Human Research Facility is managed by the Johnson Space Center.

• 2001 Oct 17 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-37 

  Expedition Three crewmembers are preparing to board their Soyuz return vehicle at the International Space Station (ISS) early Friday to move it from the Earth-facing port of the Zarya module for the first-ever linkup to the new Pirs Docking Compartment. The short procedure will begin with undocking of the Soyuz at 5:48 a.m. CDT, and will conclude with the redocking at 6:06 a.m. CDT.

  The crew, Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin, will prepare the station for a period without human occupation before boarding the Soyuz for its relocation. That is done as a precaution, in the unlikely event the crew is unable to return to the station.

  The move of the Soyuz will mark the first time the new Pirs, which arrived at the station Sept. 17, will serve as a docking port. The Soyuz will be shifted to prepare for the arrival of a new Soyuz return craft, to be launched Oct. 21 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz can serve as a crew return vehicle at the station for a maximum of about six months.

  Today, the crewmembers reviewed relocation procedures and conducted a Soyuz communications check. On Thursday, they will prepare the station for their departure. Also on Thursday they will spend some time stowing items for return to Earth on the Soyuz.

  The Soyuz taxi crew, Commander Victor Afanasyev, Flight Engineer Konstantin Kozeev and French Flight Engineer Claudie Haignere, will blast off from Baikonur on Sunday at around 3:59 a.m. CDT for their two-day flight to the station. Haignere is a European Space Agency astronaut carrying out a flight program for CNES, the French Space Agency, under a commercial contract with the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. They will arrive at the station Oct. 23 for an eight-day stay, riding the Soyuz currently docked to Zarya back to Earth on Oct. 31.

  Two Expedition Three spacewalks conducted by Dezhurov and Tyurin linked Pirs with data and power cables to the Zvezda service module to which it is docked, and mounted experiment on Zvezda's exterior.

  The third and final Expedition Three spacewalk by Culbertson and Dezhurov was moved from Nov. 5 to Nov 8 to give the crewmembers more time to prepare after departure of the Soyuz taxi crew. The spacewalk is designed to complete the exterior outfitting of Pirs that was begun by Dezhurov and Tyurin on their initial spacewalk Oct. 8.

  Meanwhile, ISS officials in Moscow and Houston agreed to conduct a test of the solid-fuel oxygen-producing candles on the station on Oct. 29. The test is being performed as the final step in formally extending the expiration date of the candles. The test initially was scheduled to begin Oct. 11, but was postponed to refine procedures. The candles would be used in the unlikely event the Russian Elektron oxygen-generation system in Zvezda malfunctioned.

  With systems operating normally, the station is orbiting at an average altitude of 247 statute miles (395 km).

  The orbiting trio will continue its scientific investigations this coming week after the relocation of the Soyuz.

• 2001 Oct 21 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-39 

  Two Russian cosmonauts and a French researcher blasted off this morning from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a two-day flight to bring a fresh Soyuz return vehicle to the International Space Station (ISS).

  Russian "taxi" crew Commander Victor Afanasyev, rookie Flight Engineer Konstantin Kozeev and European Space Agency Flight Engineer Claudie Haignere began their trip to the ISS at 3:59:34 a.m. CDT (8:59:34 GMT) as their Soyuz rocket climbed away from their cloudy desert launch site in Central Asia. At the time of launch, the Expedition Three crew aboard the ISS, Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin were asleep, flying over the border of Cameroon and Sudan in Africa.

  Less than nine minutes after launch, the new Soyuz TM-33 craft was in orbit and its solar arrays were deployed, heading for a linkup with the ISS on Tuesday morning.

  Afanasyev, making his fourth flight into space, and Haignere, who is in her second flight, are veterans of previous flights on the Mir Space Station.

  Haignere is flying for ESA, but representing CNES, the French Space Agency, under a commercial contract with the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. In addition to helping deliver the new Soyuz to Culbertson, Dezhurov and Tyurin, she will be conducting a host of scientific experiments while she and her crewmates spend eight days aboard the ISS.

  The "taxi" crew is scheduled to dock to the Zarya module's nadir docking port on Tuesday at 5:41 a.m. CDT (10:41 GMT), with hatches scheduled to be opened about 90 minutes later to enable the two crews to greet each other. Afanasyev and his crew will depart in the Soyuz return craft currently docked to the new Pirs Docking Compartment early in the morning of October 31 for a landing two hours later in Kazakhstan.

  The Expedition Three crew aboard the ISS is scheduled to return to Earth in December after their Expedition Four replacements arrive on board during the STS-108 mission aboard the Shuttle Endeavour.

  With systems operating normally, the station is orbiting at an average altitude of 247 statute miles (395 km).

  The Expedition Three crew will continue its scientific investigations this coming week in concert with the work being performed on board the ISS by the "taxi" crew.

• 2001 Oct 23 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-40 

  Two Russian cosmonauts and a French researcher arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) this morning, delivering a fresh Soyuz return vehicle for the residents on board to begin eight days of joint operations and research.

  Russian "taxi" crew Commander Victor Afanasyev, rookie Flight Engineer Konstantin Kozeev and European Space Agency Flight Engineer Claudie Haignere docked the Soyuz TM-33 craft to the nadir docking port of the Zarya Control Module at 5:44 a.m. CDT (10:44 GMT) as the Soyuz and the ISS sailed 240 statute miles over Eastern Asia. The successful docking came two days after the crew was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

  In the ISS, Expedition Three Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin monitored the docking and prepared for the opening of hatches between the Soyuz and Zarya after leak checks are completed to greet their first visitors since they took over station operations back in August.

  Afanasyev, making his fourth flight into space, and Haignere, who is in her second flight, are veterans of previous flights on the Mir Space Station. This is Kozeev's first flight in space.

  Haignere is flying for ESA, but representing CNES, the French Space Agency, under a commercial contract with the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. In addition to helping deliver the new Soyuz to Culbertson, Dezhurov and Tyurin, she will be conducting a host of scientific experiments while she and her crewmates spend eight days aboard the ISS.

  Within hours after the docking, the visiting crewmembers were scheduled to receive a safety briefing on station systems from Culbertson, before Haignere begins to activate and conduct initial experiments in materials research, life sciences and meteorological phenomena.

  The "taxi" trio is scheduled to depart the station next Tuesday night at 7:41 p.m. CDT (1:41 GMT on October 31) in the Soyuz TM-32 craft which arrived at the ISS in April and which is now docked to the new Pirs Docking Compartment. The "taxi" crew will land in the steppes of Kazakhstan several hours later.

  The Expedition Three crewmembers are scheduled to return to Earth in December after their Expedition Four replacements arrive on board during the STS-108 mission aboard the Shuttle Endeavour. The shuttle is targeted for launch November 29.

  With systems operating normally, the station is orbiting at an average altitude of 247 statute miles (395 km).

  The Expedition Three crew will continue its scientific investigations this coming week in concert with the work being performed on board the ISS by the "taxi" crew.

• 2001 Oct 30 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-41 

  Two Russian cosmonauts and a French researcher left the International Space Station (ISS) this evening, wrapping up almost eight days of experiments and joint activities with the Station's residents while delivering a fresh Soyuz return vehicle for the orbital outpost.

  Russian "taxi" crew Commander Victor Afanasyev, Flight Engineer Konstantin Kozeev and European Space Agency Flight Engineer Claudie Haignere undocked the Soyuz TM-32 craft from the Pirs Docking Compartment at 7:39 p.m. CST (1:39 GMT on Oct. 31) as the Soyuz and the ISS sailed 240 statute miles over Eastern Asia near the Russian-Chinese border. The Soyuz TM-32 craft arrived at the ISS on April 30 and was nearing the end of its operational lifetime. A fresh Soyuz is flown to the Station every six months to provide Station residents an assured ride home in the event of an emergency.

  The successful undocking came ten days after the "taxi" crew was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in the new Soyuz TM-33 craft, which will remain at the ISS until next spring.

  The older Soyuz was scheduled to fire its braking rockets in a deorbit maneuver just after 10 p.m. CST (4:00 GMT on Oct. 31) to enable the "taxi" trio to reenter Earth's atmosphere. Landing was scheduled at 10:58 p.m. CST (4:58 GMT, 9:58 a.m. Kazakhstan time Oct. 31) on the Kazakh steppes.

  In the ISS, Expedition Three Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin monitored the undocking and began to turn their attention to the final weeks of their four-month mission aboard the complex. They are scheduled to return to Earth in December after being replaced by a Russian commander and two American astronauts.

  After saying their final farewells to one another, the two crews closed hatches between the Zvezda Service Module and the Pirs, to which the older Soyuz was docked. The undocking occurred after commands were sent to drive open hooks and latches that held the older Soyuz firmly to the new Pirs docking port. Afanasyev backed the Soyuz away from the ISS to a safe distance for the deorbit burn of the capsule's rockets.

  With systems operating normally, the station is orbiting at an average altitude of 247 statute miles (395 km).

  Now on their own once again, the Expedition Three crewmembers will continue their scientific investigations this coming week.

• 2001 Nov 12 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-43 

  Expedition Three Commander Frank Culbertson and Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov completed the external outfitting of the Pirs Docking Compartment on the International Space Station (ISS) this evening, conducting a 5 hour, 4 minute spacewalk outside the orbital outpost.

  Culbertson, making his first spacewalk, and Dezhurov, completing his third spacewalk of this Expedition and his eighth overall, opened the hatch on the Pirs compartment at 3:41 p.m. CST (21:41 GMT) and went right to work, successfully hooking up seven telemetry cables between Pirs and the Zvezda Service Module to complete the installation of the Kurs automated rendezvous system, which will be used to guide approaching Russian vehicles for docking to the Pirs in the future. Pirs serves as both a docking port and an airlock for spacewalks out of the Russian segment of the ISS.

  Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin, who conducted two previous spacewalks in October with Dezhurov, monitored tonight's activities from inside the ISS and operated the Canadarm2 robotic arm, providing television views for flight controllers in Houston and Moscow and lighting for the spacewalkers as they conducted their tasks.

  Standing in foot restraints on the Zvezda, Culbertson and Dezhurov also conducted an inspection of a solar array panel on the service module which failed to deploy properly during its launch on July 12, 2000. The stuck panel has had no impact on station operations or the electrical capability of the Russian segment. Culbertson snapped a number of pictures of the array for analysis by Russian engineers.

  Culbertson and Dezhurov wrapped up the spacewalk by testing the capability of the newly installed Russian Strela cargo crane, which was attached to Pirs back on October 8. They used a crank to extend the Strela to its fully extended length of some 30 feet, then raised and lowered the crane from an operator's post at the base of the boom. Strela will be used to maneuver cosmonauts and cargo around the Russian modules of the ISS during future spacewalks.

  Finally, the spacewalkers reentered Pirs and closed the hatch at 8:45 p.m. CST (2:45 GMT Tuesday) to complete the 29th spacewalk in support of ISS assembly and the fifth conducted from the station itself. In all, ISS assembly spacewalk activity has now spanned 183 hours and 18 minutes.

  The crewmembers plan to relax on Tuesday before resuming a busy schedule Wednesday as they start to pack up all of their gear for their return to Earth in December on the shuttle Endeavour at the conclusion of the STS-108 mission, which will bring their replacements, the Expedition Four crew, to the ISS.

  Science work aboard the station will resume this week as well following tonight's spacewalk. Oversight of ISS science investigations is the responsibility of the Payload Operations Center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The Human Research Facility is managed by the Johnson Space Center.

  With systems operating normally, the station is orbiting at an average altitude of 247 statute miles (395 km).

• - x - EVA ISS EO-3-3  Crew: Culbertson, Dezhurov. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.22 days.

  The spacewalk was made from the Pirs module. The astronauts completed external connections for the module and finished setting up the Kurs rendezvous system.

• 2001 Nov 15 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-44 

  After completing the final space walk planned for Expedition Three, the crew of the International Space Station this week begins to get ready for the arrival of a cargo vessel, a space shuttle and a replacement crew later this month.

  Engineers at the Mission Control Center outside of Moscow conducted a series of tests and verified that the exterior connections made by Commander Frank Culbertson and Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov during Monday's space walk had successfully brought the Pirs Docking Compartment's automated Kurs telemetry system to full functionality.

  With the help of Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin, they spent Wednesday cleaning up, servicing and storing the Orlan spacesuits they had used on the 5-hour, 4-minute space walk. They also spent about 20 minutes answering questions posed by middle school students in Texas and Kansas as part of a regional education conference.

  With those activities complete, the trio of space researchers began getting ready for a series of comings and goings, and packing for their impending return home. The Progress 5 resupply craft currently docked to the Zvezda service module is scheduled to undock Nov. 22; it later will be commanded to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere where it will burn up along with refuse being stored inside by the crew this week. Another supply vehicle, Progress 6, is scheduled to launch Nov. 26 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and dock with the station Nov. 28.

  All preparations for the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour and the Expedition Four crew - Commander Yuri Onufrienko and Flight Engineers Dan Bursch and Carl Walz - are on schedule for launch at 6:42 p.m. CST Nov. 29. Mission managers will meet at Kennedy Space Center this Thursday to review all preparations for launch; an official launch target is expected at the conclusion of that meeting. The shuttle crew - Commander Dom Gorie, Pilot Mark Kelly and Mission Specialists Linda Godwin and Dan Tani - joined the new station crew in Florida for a final dress rehearsal of the launch last week.

  While visiting the station, the shuttle crew will conduct a space walk to install insulation blankets on the beta gimbal assemblies for the station's large solar array wings. These large swivels, which allow the solar arrays to track the Sun's rays and provide maximum power generation, appear to be experiencing adverse effects related to the extreme temperature swings that occur as the station moves in and out of direct sunlight. These multi-layer insulation blankets are expected to reduce the temperature swings and allow normal operation of the solar arrays.

  Meanwhile in Florida, the next major component to be launched to the space station has successfully completed acceptance testing and been moved to a work platform for final closeouts. One last software test remains, and that will be completed in January. The S-zero truss, which will serve as the base section of a framework connecting more large solar array wings, is scheduled for launch on STS-110 in March 2002.

  With systems operating normally, the station is orbiting at an average altitude of 247 statute miles (397 km).

  Science work aboard the station continues with emphasis on human physiology experiments as the crew nears the end of its time on orbit, and with autonomous microgravity materials research. Overall coordination of the research is the responsibility of the Payload Operations Center at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The Human Research Facility is managed by the Johnson Space Center.

• 2001 Nov 21 - ISS Status Report: ISS 01-45 

  During their 103rd day aboard the International Space Station, Expedition Three Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin Wednesday began activation of the Progress unpiloted supply vehicle in preparation for its undocking.

  The Progress, attached to the docking port at the rear of the Zvezda service module, is the fifth to visit the station. It will undock at 10:06 a.m. CST Thursday, to be deorbited and burn up in the atmosphere with its load of trash and unneeded equipment. Its undocking makes room for Progress 6, scheduled for launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 12:24 p.m. CST Monday. The new Progress, filled with fresh supplies, is planned to dock to the station at 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 28.

  The Expedition Three trio also began prepa