Halsell

Helms

Horowitz

Usachyov

Voss

Weber

Williams Jeffrey

---

STS-101 Credit - NASA

19 May 2000 10:11 GMT. Landing Date: 2000-05-29 06:20:00 PM. Flight Time: 9.84 days. Other Name: ISS-2A.2a. Flight Up: STS-101. Flight Back: STS-101. Call Sign: Atlantis. Crew: Halsell, Helms, Horowitz, Usachyov, Voss, Weber, Williams Jeffrey. Program: ISS.

Of note: First flight with new 'glass cockpit'. ISS Logistics flight. Launch delayed three times by weather. Objective of mission STS-101 was repair, resupply and construction tasks aboard the international space station. This was the first launch with new electronic cockpit displays and other upgrades. The solid boosters separated at 10:13 GMT and the main engines cutoff at 10:19 GMT. The external tank, ET-102 then separated, with both orbiter and ET-102 in a 52 x 320 km initial orbit. At 10:54 GMT the OMS engines fired to raise perigee to 159 x 329 km x at 51.6 deg. Atlantis docked with the International Space Station's PMA-2 docking adapter on the Unity node at 04:31 GMT on May 21. At that time the ISS was in a 332 x 341 km orbit.

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

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

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

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

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

Crew Members: Commander James D. Halsell, Pilot Scott J. Horowitz, Mission Specialists , Jeffrey N. Williams, James S. Voss, Susan J. Helms and Yury Vladimirovich Usachev.

Launch Highlights

After three launch delays in April caused by high winds at the launch site and overseas emergency landing strips, Atlantis blasted off from KSC's Launch Pad 39A on time. A crew of six American astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut were on their way to pay a "home improvement" house call on the fledgling International Space Station (ISS).

Mission Highlights

On their 10-day mission, the astronauts completed one space walk (EVA), equipped the ISS with new or replacement gear and transferred more than a ton of supplies into the space station for use by future residents of the ISS.

The EVA marked the fifth space walk for construction of the ISS, the 49th conducted from a space shuttle, and the 85th overall conducted by U.S. astronauts. During the six-hour, 44-minute EVA, Mission Specialists James Voss and Jeffrey Williams secured a United States-built crane installed on the station last year; installed the final parts of a Russian-built crane, Strela, on the Pressurized Mating Adapter-1 that connects the Unity node to the Zarya control module; replaced a faulty antenna for one of the station's communications systems; and installed several handrails and a camera cable on the ISS exterior. Mission Specialist Mary Ellen Weber operated the Shuttle's robotic arm, which she used to maneuver Voss during much of the space walk.

Work inside the space station followed. Before entering the space station, the crew opened various hatches into and within the different modules, in this order: PMA-2, Unity node, PMA-1, Zarya, and instrumentation cargo compartment on Zarya. Over the course of three days, the crew installed four batteries and associated electronics; 10 new smoke detectors in the Zarya module; four new cooling fans; additional cables for the Zarya computer to enhance capabilities; a new communications memory unit; and a new power distribution box for the U.S.-built communications system.

Next came the transfer of supplies – more than 3,300 pounds of gear ranging from clothes, tools, can openers, sewing kits and trash bags to a treadmill, an exercise bicycle ergometer and IMAX film camera. The crew also filled four 12-gallon water containers for use by future resident astronauts aboard the ISS.

During the mission, Commander Halsell and Pilot Horowitz also fired Atlantis' jets three times to boost the ISS about 27 miles into a slightly higher orbit of 225 miles. When stowage was complete, the crew reversed the procedure to close the hatches in the space sttation, with the final hatch shut at 4:40 a.m. EDT, May 26.

Undocking with the space station occurred at 7:02 p.m. EDT, May 26. Pilot Horowitz backed Atlantis away and then flew a half-circle around the station before firing Atlantis' jets in a final separation burn at 7:41 p.m. EDT.

1. ISS ingress/safety - Take air samples - Monitor carbon dioxide - Deploy portable, personal fans - Measure air flow - Rework/modify ISS ducting - Replace air filters - Replace Zarya fire extinguishers, smoke detectors

2. Critical replacements/repairs/spares - Replace four suspect batteries on Zarya - Replaced failed or suspect electronics for Zarya's batteries - Replace Radio Telemetry System memory unit - Replace port early communications antenna - Replace Radio Frequency Power Distribution Box - Clear Space Vision System target

3. Incremental assembly/upgrades - Complete assembly of Strela crane - Install additional exterior handrails - Set up center-line camera cable - Install "Komparus" cable inserts - Reseat the U.S. crane

4. Assembly parts & equipment - Transfer U.S. hardware - Transfer Russian hardware - Provide EVA tools - Supply IVA kit

5. Pre-position/stow equipment & provisions for future missions

6. Resupply - Water and water transfer, stowage equipment - Docking mechanism accessory kit - Film and video tape for documentation - Office supplies - Personal items

7. Crew health maintenance - Exercise equipment - Medical support supplies - Formaldehyde monitor kit - Passive dosimetry system

8. Detailed test objectives - Monitor cabin air - SOAR

Orbiter: Atlantis OV104. Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center. Launch Pad 39B. Launch Window: 5 Minutes. Altitude: 320 km. Inclination: 51.6 Degrees.

Vehicle Data

Shuttle Liftoff Weight: 4,519,645 lbs. Orbiter/Payload Landing Weight: 221,271 lbs.
Payload Weights: ICC 3,700 pounds. MARS: 270 lb.
Software Version: OI-27
Space Shuttle Main Engines: SSME 1: 2052 SSME 2: 2044 SSME 3: 2047
External Tank: ET-103A
SRB Set: BI-102PF/RSRM-75

Payloads:

Cargo Bay:
BioTube Precursor Experiment; SPACEHAB Integrated Cargo Carrier; Mission to America's Remarkable Schools Space Experiment Module 6

In-Cabin:
HTD 1403 Micro Wireless Instrumentation System (Micro WIS); HEDS Technology Demonstration

• 2000 May 19 - STS-101  Crew: Halsell, Horowitz, Weber, Williams Jeffrey, Voss, Helms, Usachyov. Spacecraft: Atlantis. Payload: Atlantis F21. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. Duration: 9.84 days. Perigee: 332 km (206 mi). Apogee: 341 km (211 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg.

  ISS Logistics flight. Launch delayed three times by weather. Objective of mission STS-101 was repair, resupply and construction tasks aboard the international space station. This was the first launch with new electronic cockpit displays and other upgrades. The solid boosters separated at 10:13 GMT and the main engines cutoff at 10:19 GMT. The external tank, ET-102 then separated, with both orbiter and ET-102 in a 52 x 320 km initial orbit. At 10:54 GMT the OMS engines fired to raise perigee to 159 x 329 km x at 51.6 deg. Atlantis docked with the International Space Station's PMA-2 docking adapter on the Unity node at 04:31 GMT on May 21. At that time the ISS was in a 332 x 341 km orbit.

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

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

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

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

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

• 2000 May 19 - STS-101 Mission Status Report #01 

  With dawn's first light glimmering above, six American astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center to pay a "home improvement" house call on the fledgling International Space Station.

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

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

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

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

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

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

• 2000 May 19 - STS-101 Mission Status Report #02 

  The crew of STS-101 was awakened just after 6 p.m. to Tom Petty's song "Free Fallin'," played for Mission Specialist Susan Helms. Once awake, Atlantis' seven-member crew began preparing for its first full day on orbit to ready the vehicle for tomorrow night's docking with the International Space Station and a space walk Sunday night.

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

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

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

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

• 2000 May 20 - STS-101 Mission Status Report #03 

  Atlantis' crew spent a smooth day in space checking equipment in preparation for upcoming activities: docking with the International Space Station late tonight; a spacewalk planned for late Sunday; and the transfer of over a ton of equipment to the station that will begin late Monday.

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

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

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

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

• 2000 May 20 - STS-101 Mission Status Report #04 

  Atlantis' astronauts were awakened at 4:11 p.m. Central today to the song "Still Shining" by Bob Seger in honor of tonight's rendezvous with the International Space Station. STS-101 Mission Commander Jim Halsell will guide Atlantis to the second Shuttle docking with the International Space Station late this evening. Atlantis is planned to dock with the station at 11:31 p.m. Central.

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

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

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

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

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

• 2000 May 21 - STS-101 Mission Status Report #05 

  Flying five miles a second above the Ukraine, Commander Jim Halsell gently pulled the Shuttle Atlantis into port last night, flawlessly latching his 100-ton spacecraft to the 35-ton International Space Station for a five-day stay.

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

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

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

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

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

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

• 2000 May 21 - STS-101 Mission Status Report #06 

  The seven astronauts aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis were awakened at 4:11 p.m. CDT to the song "Lookin' Out the Window" by Stevie Ray Vaughan and are now busy with preparations for tonight's space walk which is scheduled to begin about 9:15 p.m. CDT.

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

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

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

• 2000 May 22 - EVA STS-101-1  Crew: Williams Jeffrey, Voss. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.29 days. Spacecraft: International Space Station.

  The crew reattached the US crane, attached the Russian Strela transfer boom, and replaced a faulty antenna on the Unity node. EVA handrails were fixed to the station exterior for use on later spacewalks.

• 2000 May 22 - STS-101 Mission Status Report #07 

  Astronauts Jim Voss and Jeff Williams spent over six hours outside the Space Shuttle Atlantis this morning, completing a variety of planned assembly and maintenance tasks on the International Space Station with ease.

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

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

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

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

• 2000 May 22 - STS-101 Mission Status Report #08 

  Atlantis' seven member crew was awakened just before 4 p.m. CDT to begin its fifth day in space and is now preparing to enter the International Space Station to perform maintenance work and transfer supplies for future station crews. Today's wakeup call was "Haunted House" by Ray Buchanan since the opening lyrics say "I just moved into a new house today...." in honor of the STS-101 crew entering what will be a new home for astronauts and cosmonauts later this year.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• 2000 May 23 - STS-101 Mission Status Report #09 

  Atlantis' crew ventured into the International Space Station for the first time last night, finding the 35-ton outpost comfortable, clean and in overall good condition as they completed a series of maintenance tasks well ahead of schedule.

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

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

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

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

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

• 2000 May 23 - STS-101 Mission Status Report #10 

  The STS-101 astronauts aboard Atlantis were awakened at 3:41 p.m. CDT to begin their sixth day in space and third day of docked operations with the International Space Station. Today's wake up song from Mission Control was a long distance dedication from Kathy Halsell to her husband, Mission Commander Jim Halsell, the Flamingoes tune "I Only Have Eyes for You."

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

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

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

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

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

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

• 2000 May 24 - STS-101 Mission Status Report #11 

  Atlantis' astronauts continued a smooth pace of work aboard the International Space Station today, breezing through tasks ranging from standard home maintenance such as replacing smoke detectors to successfully conducting the first in a series of orbital boosts for the outpost.

  Commander Jim Halsell and pilot Scott Horowitz fired Atlantis' steering jets 27 times during almost an hour Tuesday evening to gently lift the 35-ton outpost about 10 miles higher. The same process will be repeated again tonight and on Thursday to boost the station by about 27 miles in total and leave it in an orbit with an average height of about 233 miles when Atlantis departs on Friday.

  As has been the case through much of the mission, the crew completed most jobs ahead of schedule. Inside the Zarya module, Astronaut Susan Helms and Cosmonaut Yury Usachev completed the installation of a third fresh battery for the station. A fourth battery will be installed tonight. Meanwhile, station controllers in Moscow completed charging the first of two batteries installed in Zarya yesterday, and it is now operating perfectly. Controllers are charging the second new battery installed in the station, although the charging of that battery was interrupted briefly early this morning by an unforeseen conflict that prevents conducting charging and battery installation work simultaneously. The interruption halted the battery charging for about an hour and a half, but the process is now again under way with no problems. Controllers are confident the new battery is in good condition and are revising plans to ensure no similar conflict occurs as the crew is installing the final new battery tonight.

  The crew also installed 10 new smoke detectors in Zarya, replacing detectors that had reached the end of the lifetime for which they were designed to operate. The astronauts replaced four cooling fans in Zarya for the same reason. In addition, they completed the installation of new cabling for the module's central computer that will allow that computer to be turned on and off via a United States-built backup station communications system. As the installation work progressed, the crew continued transferring items ranging from exercise equipment to computer printers to the station for use by future crews. Well over 1,200 pounds of gear have been moved from Atlantis to the station thus far.

  Tonight, Helms and Usachev will install the final new battery in the station. Later, Halsell and Horowitz will fire Atlantis' jets to perform the second part of the three-part station reboost. Then the crew's attention will turn to unloading various supplies from Atlantis and stowing them aboard the station. The crew will take a short break from their work at 10:21 p.m. CDT for an interview with ABC radio news; KOIN-TV of Portland, OR; and a Department of Housing and Urban Development educational group.

  Atlantis and the International Space Station are in an orbit with a high point of 219 miles and a low point of 212 miles, circling Earth every 91 minutes.

• 2000 May 24 - STS-101 Mission Status Report #12 

  STS-101 Commander Jim Halsell and his crew are continuing their efforts aboard the International Space Station as they begin their fourth day of docked operations. The seven astronauts were awakened at 3:28 p.m. CDT with the music, "I'm Gonna Fly" by Amy Grant which was requested by Pilot Scott Horowitz's wife.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• 2000 May 25 - STS-101 Mission Status Report #13 

  As their seventh day in space draws to a close this morning, the astronauts aboard Atlantis have virtually completed their maintenance work on the International Space Station, installing equipment that is planned to leave the space outpost in flawless condition.

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

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

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

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

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

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

• 2000 May 25 - STS-101 Mission Status Report #14 

  The seven STS-101 astronauts are spending their final full day docked to the International Space Station as they prepare for undocking Friday evening. When Atlantis undocks tomorrow evening, it will leave behind a refurbished orbiting facility, operating at a higher altitude and featuring new electrical and communications components. The station is now primed and ready to receive the next major piece of the station, the Zvezda Service Module, when it is launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan between July 8-14. Commander Jim Halsell, Pilot Scott Horowitz and Mission Specialists Mary Ellen Weber, Jeff Williams, Susan Helms, Jim Voss and Yury Usachev were awakened at 3:11 p.m. CDT. Today's wakeup song -- "Don't It Make You Wanna Dance" by Jerry Jeff Walker -- was played at the request of Williams' son and family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

• 2000 May 26 - STS-101 Mission Status Report #15 

  With all of their mission's objectives met or exceeded, Atlantis' crew shut the doors to the International Space Station early this morning in preparation for bidding the rejuvenated outpost farewell this evening.

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

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

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

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

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

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

• 2000 May 26 - STS-101 Mission Status Report #16 

  With a gentle push, Atlantis and the International Space Station parted company this evening as the two spacecraft flew 237 miles over Kazakhstan concluding five days of work to prepare the outpost for its first resident crew.

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

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

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

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

• 2000 May 27 - STS-101 Mission Status Report #17 

  Having departed a rejuvenated International Space Station last night, Atlantis' crew will now spend a day checking the shuttle's equipment and stowing away gear in preparation for the trip home, aiming for a 1:20 a.m. CDT landing on Monday at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

  Atlantis undocked at 6:03 p.m. CDT, leaving behind a pristine space station after spending five days, 18 hours and 32 minutes attached to the orbiting outpost. After flying a half-loop around the station, Pilot Scott Horowitz fired Atlantis' jets to separate from the vicinity. The crew then had a well-deserved half-day break.

  This evening, Commander Jim Halsell and Horowitz will test the equipment Atlantis will use during the return home to ensure it remains in good condition. They also will test-fire the shuttle's steering jets, used to control the orientation of the spacecraft as it re-enters the atmosphere. The crew will participate in a press conference from orbit at 10:41 p.m. CDT, fielding questions from media at JSC, Kennedy and at the Russian Mission Control Center.

  Atlantis is in excellent condition, as is the International Space Station, now 50 miles behind the Shuttle and moving 7 miles further with each orbit of Earth. For a touchdown in Florida at 1:20 a.m. CDT on Monday, Atlantis would fire its engines to begin a descent at 12:16 a.m. CDT Monday. A second opportunity also exists for a landing in Florida on the next orbit, with an engine firing by Atlantis to begin the descent at 1:53 a.m. CDT Monday leading to a touchdown at 2:56 a.m. CDT Monday. The long-range weather forecast for Monday at the Kennedy Space Center calls for possible showers and low clouds in the vicinity, conditions that could be unacceptable for landing.

  The crew begins a sleep period at 7:11 a.m. CDT and will awaken at 3:11 p.m. to begin what is planned to be their final full day in orbit, a day devoted to the pre-landing checkouts and packing.

• 2000 May 27 - STS-101 Mission Status Report #18 

  With all major mission objectives successfully completed, Atlantis' crew turned its attention to a planned return trip home, with a landing scheduled for 1:20 a.m. Central time on Monday at the Kennedy Space Center.

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

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

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

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

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

• 2000 May 28 - STS-101 Mission Status Report #19 

  The astronauts aboard Atlantis have packed their bags and checked out their spacecraft in preparation for a return home and a planned touchdown at 1:20 a.m. Central time Monday at the Kennedy Space Center.

  Saturday evening, Commander Jim Halsell, Pilot Scott Horowitz and Flight Engineer Jeff Williams successfully test fired Atlantis' steering jets and verified the performance of the equipment Atlantis will use for its trip home, finding everything in good shape. Early Sunday, Halsell fired Atlantis steering jets to lower its orbit by about nine miles, a maneuver that optimizes the landing opportunities that will be available for the shuttle.

  For a 1:20 a.m. Monday landing at KSC, Atlantis' orbital maneuvering system engines would be fired in a deorbit burn at 12:13 a.m. In the event weather precludes a landing on the first opportunity, a second opportunity exists for a landing in Florida on the next orbit, with a deorbit burn at 1:50 a.m. resulting in a 2:56 a.m. landing. The weather forecast for landing indicates acceptable conditions, although forecasters will be monitoring the progress of a front moving toward Florida throughout the day and its potential effect on winds at the Shuttle Landing Facility runway.

  Two opportunities for a landing in Florida also are available on Tuesday and again on Wednesday, if needed. Also on Wednesday, Atlantis could land at Edwards Air Force Base, California, if required.

  The crew sleep period begins at 7:11 a.m. and will end with a wake-up call from Mission Control at 3:11 p.m. Central. They will begin deorbit preparations in earnest just after 8 p.m. The shuttle's payload bay doors would be closed at about 9:30 p.m. and a go or no go decision would be made by Mission Control at about midnight in preparation for a 1:20 a.m. Monday landing.

• 2000 May 28 - STS-101 Mission Status Report #20 

  Final deorbit preparation begins at 8:13 p.m. CDT this evening on the crew's timeline. The space shuttle's payload bay doors will be closed at 9:33 p.m. and the spacecraft's radiators will no longer provide cooling once they are closed. Mission Control gives a "go" or "no go" call for transition to the software phase known as "Ops 3" at 9:45 p.m., shifting the onboard computers' attention to deorbit and entry tasks.

  The astronauts start getting into their launch/entry suits at 10:49 p.m., climb into their seats at 11:13 p.m., perform a gimbal check of the Orbital Maneuvering System engines at 11:35 p.m. and pre-start the auxiliary power units to generate hydraulic power for the aerodynamic surfaces at 11:39 p.m.

  The flight control team in Mission Control will review the condition of the Shuttle Orbiter and make a go/no go decision for the deorbit burn at 11:58 p.m. Atlantis maneuvers to the deorbit burn attitude at midnight and fires the OMS engines at 12:13 a.m. CDT to slow the forward speed and drop the spacecraft from orbit. Touchdown is planned for 1:20 a.m. Central time Monday at the Kennedy Space Center.

  A second opportunity for landing occurs one orbit later with a deorbit burn at 1:50 a.m. and a landing at KSC at 2:56 a.m. CDT. The weather forecast for landing indicates acceptable conditions, although forecasters will be monitoring the progress of a front moving toward Florida throughout the day and its potential effect on winds at the Shuttle Landing Facility runway.

  Two opportunities for a landing in Florida also are available on Tuesday and again on Wednesday, if needed. Also on Wednesday, Atlantis could land at Edwards Air Force Base, California, if required. Landing support will not be called up for Edwards until Wednesday.

• 2000 May 29 - STS-101 Mission Status Report #21 

  Atlantis' astronauts glided to a ghostly pre-dawn landing this morning at the Kennedy Space Center to wrap up a successful refurbishment and resupply mission to the International Space Station.

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

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

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

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

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

• 2000 May 29 - Landing of STS-101 

  STS-101 landed at 06:20 GMT.