"I was warned by many people that you can get so intent on the job that you can miss the experience. These folks (Atlantis' crew) made sure I didn't miss the experience of spaceflight."

Mission commander Jim Halsell led pilot Scott Horowitz and mission specialists Mary Ellen Weber, Jim Voss, Jeff Williams, Susan Helms and cosmonaut Yuri Usachev on a 10-day mission, most of it docked to the as-yet unoccupied International Space Station.

During the mission, the crew swapped batteries and smoke detectors in the station, performed a spacewalk to repair and install equipment and delivered almost 3,000 pounds (1,360 kilograms) of supplies for future crews. Halsell and Horowitz also boosted the station into a higher orbit.

Commander Jim Halsell addressed the issue of air-quality problems suspected aboard the station. "In the current configuration with the shuttle docked, there is no air-quality problem," Halsell said concerning engineers repair efforts.

This mission became necessary as some of the six batteries powering the station began developing problems and all of them were nearing the end of their useful life. The Russian-built Zvezda service module was supposed to take over those responsibilities two years ago. It has not been launched yet to due production delays and difficulties with the Proton booster that will carry it aloft. The Russians have said the module will launch in mid July.

The space agency swapped part of the crew out in the spring and compressed the normally one-year training schedule into several months.

Spaceflight-rookie Williams, along with Voss made an almost seven-hour spacewalk to repair a U.S.-built crane and install a Russian one, as well as swap out an antenna and install handrails.

"I was warned by many people that you can get so intent on the job that you can miss the experience," Williams said. "These folks (Atlantis crew) made sure I didnt miss the experience of spaceflight."

Three of the crew -- Usachev, Voss and Helms -- got a look at their future home. The trio is scheduled to be the second crew to occupy the station in early 2001.

Atlantis will fly again to the station, probably in September, after the Zvezda docks with the station in July. The crew for this mission are: commander Terrence Wilcutt; pilot, Scott Altman and mission specialists Edward Lu, Richard Mastracchio, Dan Burbank, along with cosmonauts Yuri Malchenko and Boris Morukov.

The first crew to occupy the station is scheduled to arrive in November.

This is also likely Halsells last flight into space. The five-time spaceflight veteran hangs up his flight gear to assume a new role at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) as the space shuttle launch-integration manager. Halsells new responsibilities include managing shuttle launch preparations and liftoffs, along with the safe return of the craft to KSC following any landings at remote locations.