Expedition 3: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Crew

• Frank Culbertson (3), Commander - U.S.A.
• Mikhail Tyurin (1), Flight Engineer - Russia
• Vladimir Dezhurov (2), Soyuz Commander - Russia

• Perigee: 384 km
• Apogee: 396 km
• Inclination: 51.6°
• Period: 92 min

• Docked: August 12, 2001, 18:41:46 UTC
• Undocked: December 15, 2001, 17:28 UTC
• Time Docked: 124 days, 22 h, 46 min, 14 s

Pioneering research in space begun by two previous crews aboard the International Space Station expanded during the Expedition Three mission. The third resident crew launched on August 10, 2001 on Space Shuttle Discovery during mission STS-105 and took control of the complex on August 13, 2001. The crew conducted a science-intensive increment and completed four spacewalks. The Expedition Three crew ended their 117-day residency onboard the ISS on December 8, 2001 when STS-108 landed.

The Expedition Three crew of the International Space Station enjoyed a unique view of the 2001 Leonid meteor storm. "It looked like we were seeing UFOs approaching the earth flying in formation, three or four at a time," recalls astronaut Frank Culbertson. "There were hundreds per minute going beneath us, really spectacular!" News reports had warned sky watchers in advance: On Nov. 18, 2001, Earth was due to plow through a minefield of debris shed by Comet Tempel-Tuttle. Innumerable bits of comet dust would become meteors when they hit Earth's atmosphere at 144,000 mph (64,000 km/s). Experts predicted an unforgettable display ... and it came. Millions of people saw the show, but only three of them -- the ones on board the space station -- saw it from above. "We had to look down to see the meteors," says Culbertson. "That's because the atmosphere (where comet dust burns up) is below the station."

An international crew of three were the third crew to live aboard the International Space Station. The team was led by American Commander Frank Culbertson, and joined by Russian crewmates Vladimir Dezhurov, mission pilot, and flight engineer Mikhail Tyurin. As a part of the STS-105 mission, Discovery delivered the Expedition 3 crew to the station. During their four-month stay, the crew saw the orbital complex expand and research work grow. The Expedition 3 crew returned home on mission STS-108.

The Expedition Three crew performed four spacewalks to continue the on-orbit construction and maintenance on the International Space Station. The first three spacewalks focussed on outfitting the Russian Docking Compartment, which is named Pirs. The fourth spacewalk focused on the removal of an obstruction that was blocking the hard docking of the Progress 6 cargo ship to the station. All four space walks were conducted from Pirs. Expedition Three's excursions brought the total number of station-based spacewalks to six and the number of spacewalks in support of station assembly and maintenance to 30.

Learn more about the space walks required to build the International Space Station.

EVA Cosmonauts and Astronauts and Suit ID> Vladimir Dezhurov: red stripes Mikhail Tyurin: blue stripes Frank Culbertson: blue stripes

Spacewalk 1 Vladimir Dezhurov, Mikhail Tyurin Time: 4 hours, 58 minutes Start time: 9:23 a.m. CDT (1423 GMT) Oct. 8, 2001 End time: 2:21 p.m. CDT (1921 GMT) Oct. 8, 2001

Dezhurov and Tyurin made connections between Pirs and the station's Zvezda Service Module. The spacewalkers installed a cable that will allow space walk radio communications between the two station sections. They also installed handrails on the new compartment. Then, they installed an exterior ladder that will be used to help spacewalkers leave Pirs' hatch. Tyurin and Dezhurov installed a Strela cargo crane onto the station.

Spacewalk 2 Vladimir Dezhurov, Mikhail Tyurin Time: 5 hours, 52 minutes Start time: 4:17 a.m. CDT (0917 GMT) Oct. 15, 2001 End time: 10:09 a.m. CDT (1509 GMT) Oct. 15, 2001

Dezhurov and Tyurin installed Russian commercial experiments on the exterior of Pirs. Among the experiments is a set of investigations of how various materials react to the space environment over a long time. Called MPAC-SEEDS, the investigation is housed in three briefcase-sized containers.

Spacewalk 3 Vladimir Dezhurov, Frank Culbertson Time: 5 hours, 4 minutes Start time: 3:41 p.m. CST (2141 GMT) Nov. 12, 2001 End time: 8:45 p.m. CST Nov. 12, 2001 (0245 GMT Nov. 13)

Dezhurov and Culbertson connected cables on the exterior of Pirs for the Kurs automated docking system. They completed checks of the Strela cargo crane, using one space walker at the end of the crane's boom to simulate a cargo. They also inspected and photographed a small panel of one solar array on the Zvezda Service Module that has one portion of a panel not fully unfolded.

Spacewalk 4 Vladimir Dezhurov, Mikhail Tyurin Time: 2 hours, 46 minutes Start time: 7:20 a.m. CST (1320 GMT) Dec. 3, 2001 End time: 10:06 a.m. CST (1606 GMT) Dec. 3, 2001

Dezhurov and Tyurin removed an obstruction that prevented a Progress resupply ship from firmly docking with the International Space Station. They also took pictures of the debris, which was a rubberized seal from the previous cargo ship, and of the docking interface.