August 23, 2001

John Ira Petty
Johnson Space Center
281/483-5111

Release: J01-84

Public Invited to Welcome Discovery, Expedition Two Crews Home

The four-member crew of Discovery and the three Expedition Two crewmembers are scheduled to return home to Ellington Field, Hangar 990, about 5 p.m. today.

The public is invited to join Johnson Space Center employees and families in welcoming the crews back to Earth. Commander Scott Horowitz, Pilot Rick Sturckow, and Mission Specialists Dan Barry and Patrick Forrester and the Expedition Two crew—Commander Yury Usachev and Flight Engineers Susan Helms and Jim Voss—will be greeted by JSC Acting Director Roy Estess as they return home to Houston.

Horowitz, Sturckow, Barry and Forrester spent 11 days, 21 hours and 12 minutes on orbit. They worked with both the returning Expedition Two crew and the newly arrived Expedition Three International Space Station crew to transfer more than three tons of experiment hardware, food and logistical supplies between Discovery and the station. In addition, Barry and Forrester performed two space walks to prepare the station for future growth.

Usachev, Helms and Voss spent 167 days in space, including 163 days aboard the space station, following their March 8, 2001, launch aboard Discovery. The second crew of spacefarers to live aboard the space station, the crew saw the orbiting outpost grow in size and capability during its stay, assisting in the installation of the new Canadian robotic arm and using it for the first time on orbit to berth the U. S. Joint Airlock Quest to the station.

For updates on crew arrival time call 281-483-8600.

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