Hed here HOUSTON With the
launch of the module that will serve as living quarters for the International Space Station (ISS), it's starting to look like the astronaut and cosmonaut crews that have trained for years to move in there will achieve their goal.The line-up through 2002 includes some of the most impressive spaceflight resumes -- a line-up that would be selected to play in the All Star game if they were professional baseball players.
The four crews' collective experience adds up to years aboard the Russian station
Mir and space shuttle, dozens of spacewalks and support roles through the years. Most are from the military and have strong science backgrounds. A few of the astronauts and cosmonauts have spent years preparing for their mission, though they probably didnt anticipate the stations delays. Currently, station construction is about two years behind schedule, with two modules currently orbiting Earth as one. The Zvezda service module, which will serve as living quarters and a propulsion unit, was launched Wednesday and is set to dock with the rest of the station on July 25.
Most of the upcoming crews will spend three to five months aboard the growing outpost, with the first set to occupy the station in November. The early crews will try to work in some science projects as they maintain the station and assist in its rapid construction.
Crew training has had an international flavor since it is split primarily between Johnson Space Center and
Star City, Russia.Expedition-1 crew
Commander Bill Shepherd has been training for this mission since 1996. He and cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko were to be launched aboard a Soyuz to the station in 1998, but the station remains uninhabitable due to the delay of the Russian-built service module.
The first International Space Station crew circa 1997 after water survival training in the Black Sea. From left, flight engineer and cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev; Commander and astronaut Bill Shepherd and Soyuz Commander and cosmonaut Yuri Gidzenko
.If the service module docks and checks out, the trio will likely lift off in a
Soyuz from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in November for a three-month stint aboard the fledgling station.Navy Capt. Shepherd, a former SEAL, served as deputy manager for the ISS before selection as a crew member in 1996. He has flown three times aboard the space shuttle.
Flight engineer Krikalev is one of the worlds most experienced space travelers with more than a year aboard Mir and two flights aboard a space shuttle. The veteran cosmonaut hit the headlines and became fodder for comedians when his second visit to Mir coincided with an abortive Soviet coup in 1991. A flight to bring him back to Earth was cancelled and his stay aboard Mir was extended several months. During that time he made six spacewalks and even rescued a comrade who had become disoriented. In 1994, Krikalev flew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on an eight-day mission.
Soyuz commander Gidzenko headed the 20th crew aboard Mir for a six-month mission that launched in September 1995. Gidzenko and his crew mates, who included a
European Space Agency astronaut, concentrated on scientific experiments and maintaining the station. During his stay on Mir, a space shuttle delivered the docking module used to dock the craft during the Shuttle-Mir program. Expedition-2 crew
Commander Yuri Usachev and crew American astronauts Susan Helms and James Voss got a recent look at their new home when they visited as part of Space Shuttle Atlantis crew in May.
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Cosmonaut Usachev has made two trips totaling more than one year aboard Mir and has made six spacewalks. He said his experience aboard Mir translates well into life aboard the ISS when he leads the second crew there in February 2001.
"Im very familiar with the Russian equipment, so I dont worry about the technical part," he said. "The more difficult part is controlling the station by computer with different software than Ive used."
For Air Force Lt. Col. Susan Helms, the ISS is more than a temporary home.
"I plan to move to space and see how that works," she said. "Im going to make space my home and have just a PO box and a bank account."
Helms has made four trips into space and has been an astronaut since 1991.
Veteran astronaut Jim Voss might know Russian space systems better than U.S. systems, he says.
The retired Army colonel spent several years training as a backup astronaut for Mir and in training for the International Space Station.
"Russia was a tremendous experience for me," Voss said. "Ive become fluent in Russian and it really broadened my horizons."
Members of the second ISS crew participate in winter survival training in March 1998 near Star City, Russia. From left, astronaut Susan Helms, Commander and cosmonaut Yuri Usachev and astronaut Jim Voss.
Voss performed a spacewalk in May to make repairs and additions to the station.
Expedition-3 crew
Retired Navy Capt. Frank Culbertson didnt hesitate to join the ISS program, even after five tumultuous years in the Shuttle-Mir program -- spending part of that time as its head.
"The reason I came to NASA was to fly in space," he said. "Since I was a child Ive wanted to explore space and this is the next logical step."
Culbertson, who has flown twice aboard the shuttle, commands the third crew to occupy the station in June 2001. He said the Shuttle-Mir program gave him experience in working with the Russians and the challenges of long-duration spaceflight.
"I understand what the pros and cons are of this type of mission," he said. "And what the impacts will be, the difficulties and what the rewards will be."
Cosmonauts Russian Air Force Col. Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Turin join Culbertson.
Dezhurov, a former fighter pilot, commanded Mir in July 1995 for the first space-shuttle docking with the station. He and his crew also returned to Earth aboard the shuttle.
Turin makes his first trip into space and serves as the flight engineer for the station. He has been a cosmonaut since 1996 and worked as an aerospace engineer before that.
Dezhurov and Turin serve as backups for the first ISS crew.
Expedition-4 crew
Russian Air Force Col. Yuri Onufrienko commands the fourth crew to visit the station and previously commanded the 21st crew aboard Mir. During that time, he and cosmonaut Yuri Usachev made four spacewalks.
Onufrienko, a fighter pilot, leads astronauts Air Force Col. Carl Walz and Navy Cmdr. Daniel Bursch for a three-to-five month stay aboard the station starting in October 2001.
Walz, a physicist, has flown three times aboard the shuttle. He has been an astronaut since 1991.
Bursch, a Naval flight officer, has also flown three times aboard the shuttle and has been an astronaut since 1991.
This crew serves as a backup to the second crew of Usachev, Helms and Voss.
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