On Oct. 31, 2000, a Soyuz spacecraft lifted off, carrying Expedition One Commander William M. (Bill) Shepherd of NASA and cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko of Roscosmos. The trio arrived at the International Space Station on Nov. 2, marking the start of an uninterrupted human presence that has continued for fifteen years.
On Oct. 31, 2000, a Soyuz spacecraft lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 10:53 a.m. Kazakhstan time. Onboard were Expedition One Commander William M. (Bill) Shepherd of NASA and cosmonauts Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko of Roscosmos. The trio arrived at the International Space Station on Nov. 2, marking the start of an uninterrupted human presence on the orbiting laboratory. Over that time, the station has grown from a modest pair of U.S. and Russian modules, to a sprawling laboratory and home the size of a football field.
Image Credit: NASA