In 2000, a crew for the first time headed for the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket for four months to prepare ISS facility for research

In 2000, a crew for the first time headed for the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket for four months to prepare ISS facility for research. Expedition 1 was the first long-term crew to live aboard the International Space Station. William Shepherd, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev launched on October 31, 2000. They reached the station on November 2 and began work to activate its systems and prepare it for continued construction and research. Their mission included station maintenance, scientific experiments, cargo operations, visiting spacecraft and preparations for future crews. The mission ended with the crew's return on March 21, 2001.

Expedition 1 began the long-term human presence on the ISS

The first crew of the International Space Station launched on October 31, 2000, aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket. The mission was called Expedition 1. The crew was scheduled to remain aboard the station for about four months. The three crew members were William Shepherd, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev.


Shepherd served as commander. Gidzenko was the flight engineer, and Krikalev was also a flight engineer. Their work involved activating station systems, unloading supplies, preparing equipment and supporting research.

Expedition 1 is recorded as having occurred 25 years ago. The mission studied how space affects biology and physics. The crew also supported Earth observation from orbit. The mission launched on October 31, 2000, and ended with landing on March 21, 2001.

Who were the Expedition 1 crew members?

• William Shepherd, Commander: Shepherd was a US Navy captain. He was responsible for overall crew safety and station outfitting.
• Yuri Gidzenko, Flight Engineer: Gidzenko was a Russian Air Force lieutenant colonel. His responsibilities included Soyuz launch and docking activities. He was also assigned to a planned spacewalk.
• Sergei Krikalev, Flight Engineer: Krikalev had spent 484 days in space before the mission. He worked with station systems and was assigned to spacewalk activities.

The crew had to activate and prepare the station

Expedition 1 was not only a research mission. A major part of the work involved preparing the International Space Station for future operations. The crew activated life-support equipment and worked with oxygen and water systems. They unpacked supplies and established medical facilities. They also prepared station equipment for later crews.

The station at the time included modules such as Zvezda, Zarya and Unity. The U.S. Laboratory Destiny was also part of the planned station configuration and was delivered during the mission period. The crew also had to support visiting Shuttle missions and unload resupply vehicles. These operations were needed because the ISS was still being assembled. The mission involved pressure equalization, hatch opening and crew ingress after docking. The crew then began work inside the station.

Cargo and spacecraft supported the mission

Several Soyuz and Progress spacecraft supported Expedition 1 and the station assembly program.

The listed crew and cargo activities included:

• October 31, 2000: Expedition 1 launch
• November 2, 2000: Expedition 1 docking
• November 15, 2000: ISS Progress 2 launch
• November 17, 2000: ISS Progress 2 docking
• December 1, 2000: ISS Progress 2 undocking
• December 2, 2000: STS-97 docking
• December 9, 2000: STS-97 undocking
• December 26, 2000: ISS Progress 2 redocking
• February 8, 2001: ISS Progress 2 undocking
• February 9, 2001: STS-98 docking
• February 16, 2001: STS-98 undocking
• February 24, 2001: Soyuz TM-31 relocation
• February 26, 2001: ISS Progress 3 launch
• February 28, 2001: ISS Progress 3 docking

The cargo included Russian equipment such as Vozdukh. U.S. hardware included dosimeters and commemorative kits. Soyuz and Progress vehicles transported supplies, scientific equipment and hardware required for station maintenance and assembly.

Spacewalks supported ISS construction

Spacewalks were another part of the station's construction and preparation work. The listed spacewalks included activities by visiting astronauts and crew members involved in station assembly.

The spacewalk schedule included:

• December 3, 2000: Joseph Tanner and Carlos Noriega spent 7 hours and 33 minutes outside the station.
• December 5, 2000: Joseph Tanner and Carlos Noriega spent 6 hours and 37 minutes outside.
• December 7, 2000: Joseph Tanner and Carlos Noriega spent 5 hours and 10 minutes outside.
• February 10, 2001: Thomas Jones and Robert Curbeam spent 7 hours and 34 minutes outside.
• February 12, 2001: Thomas Jones and Robert Curbeam spent 6 hours and 50 minutes outside.
• February 14, 2001: Thomas Jones and Robert Curbeam spent 5 hours and 25 minutes outside.
• March 11, 2001: James Voss and Susan Helms spent 8 hours and 56 minutes outside.

These activities supported station construction, equipment installation and preparation for later operations.

Research became a central purpose of the station

Research was one of the main reasons for preparing the ISS for long-term human use. The station provided an environment for research in microgravity. The work covered biological science, biomedical research, materials science and fluid physics. Experiments included protein crystal growth, seed germination, Earth observation and other studies of how materials and living systems behave in microgravity.

Russian research included biotechnology, biomedical research, geophysics and engineering. The research was expected to contribute to areas such as medicine, materials manufacturing, combustion efficiency and understanding of fundamental physics.

The mission followed a schedule of station activation and research

The mission schedule was divided into activities across the months.

• November focused on launch, docking, station activation and initial experiments.
• December included solar array installation, preparation for spacewalks and additional resupply operations.
• January focused on laboratory activation, module repositioning and additional experiments.
• February included final station checks and preparations connected with the crew transition to Expedition 2.

The mission also included multiple orbital phases. These included final approach, docking and station ingress. The crew had to complete procedures for rendezvous and docking before beginning work inside the station.

Soyuz provided transport to the station

The Soyuz rocket was described in the mission material as a three-stage launch vehicle using liquid oxygen and kerosene. The vehicle had more than 1,500 launches in its history. The Soyuz spacecraft consisted of an orbital module, descent module and instrument module. Its launch mass was about 7,000 kilograms.

The mission material also contained detailed countdown procedures, ascent timelines, stage events and separation procedures. The Soyuz operations included automatic and manual maneuvers. These procedures were important during rendezvous, docking and reentry.

Communication and daily operations were planned in detail

The Expedition 1 crew used Greenwich Mean Time as its time reference. Daily activities were organized around wake-up, work and sleep periods. Communication took place through U.S. and Russian mission control systems.

The crew followed procedures for station operations, rendezvous, docking and reentry. The mission also required coordination between astronauts, cosmonauts, ground teams and visiting spacecraft crews.

Station assembly continued during Expedition 1

Expedition 1 took place while the ISS was still being assembled. The station included Zvezda, Zarya and Unity, along with planned laboratory and power systems. Flight 4A focused on activities that included installation of the P6 solar arrays, communications work and station outfitting.

Another stage involved station checkout, cargo docking and Russian payload activities. Flight 5A focused on installation and activation of the U.S. Laboratory Destiny. It also involved power transfer and preparations for crew activities. These operations helped move the ISS from an assembly project toward a facility that could support long-term research.

Why Expedition 1 remains important?

Expedition 1 established the first long-term crew presence aboard the International Space Station. Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalev began work at a time when the station was still being assembled.

Their responsibilities included activating systems, managing supplies, supporting visiting spacecraft, conducting and preparing experiments, and helping prepare the station for future crews. The mission lasted from October 31, 2000, until March 21, 2001. Its work helped establish the operational framework for long-term ISS missions.

The research program that followed allowed scientists to study biology, physics, materials and Earth observation in microgravity. The station later became a platform for research that could not be carried out in the same way on Earth.