Expedition 6
Encyclopedia
Expedition 6 was the sixth expedition to the International Space Station
. It was the last three man crew to reside on the station until the arrival of STS-121
. The crew performed two spacewalks in support of maintenance and assembly of the International Space Station
.
STS-113
in November 2002. The mission was expected to be a four-month mission that was to end in March 2003 when Atlantis
STS-114
was to fly to the Station with the Expedition 7
crew. The Columbia disaster changed plans and the crew stayed on the station until May 2003. They returned to earth on Soyuz TMA-1
and a reduced Expedition 7
crew with just two members was delivered to the ISS on Soyuz TMA-2
. The Space Shuttle was expected to be grounded for up to two years. Ongoing logistical support for the ISS would have to be carried out by Soyuz and Progress flights until the Space Shuttle returned to flight.
The sixth crew of the International Space Station returned to Earth just after 10 p.m. EDT on 3 May 2003 the first time U.S. astronauts have landed in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, though a U.S. space tourist
, Dennis Tito
, did so in 2001.
Russian Mission Control reported at approximately 2:45 a.m. 4 May that the support helicopters reached the crew and all three astronauts were in good health. The capsule appeared to touch down about 276 miles (444 km) from its planned landing zone.
Originally scheduled to fly on the Expedition 6 Crew in place of Don Pettit was Donald A. Thomas
.
The two Expedition Six extravehicular activities bring the total number of spacewalks conducted in support of ISS assembly and maintenance to 51. Of those 51 EVA's, Twenty-six have been based out of the station, with 17 staged from Quest. Bowersox and Pettit accumulated 13 hours and 17 minutes of spacewalking time at the station.
A dramatised account of Expedition 6 is told in Expedition 6, a play by actor/playwright Bill Pullman
. The play was scheduled to run at San Francisco's Magic Theater through 7 October 2007.
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
. It was the last three man crew to reside on the station until the arrival of STS-121
STS-121
STS-121 was a space shuttle mission to the International Space Station flown by Space Shuttle Discovery. The main purposes of the mission were to test new safety and repair techniques introduced following the Columbia disaster of February 2003 as well as to deliver supplies, equipment and...
. The crew performed two spacewalks in support of maintenance and assembly of the International Space Station
International Space Station
The International Space Station is a habitable, artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. The ISS follows the Salyut, Almaz, Cosmos, Skylab, and Mir space stations, as the 11th space station launched, not including the Genesis I and II prototypes...
.
Crew
Mission parameters
- PerigeePerigeePerigee is the point at which an object makes its closest approach to the Earth.. Often the term is used in a broader sense to define the point in an orbit where the orbiting body is closest to the body it orbits. The opposite is the apogee, the farthest or highest point.The Greek prefix "peri"...
: 384 km - Apogee: 396 km
- InclinationInclinationInclination in general is the angle between a reference plane and another plane or axis of direction.-Orbits:The inclination is one of the six orbital parameters describing the shape and orientation of a celestial orbit...
: 51.6° - PeriodOrbital periodThe orbital period is the time taken for a given object to make one complete orbit about another object.When mentioned without further qualification in astronomy this refers to the sidereal period of an astronomical object, which is calculated with respect to the stars.There are several kinds of...
: 92 min
Mission objectives
The Station's sixth crew was launched to the Station aboard Space Shuttle EndeavourSpace Shuttle Endeavour
Space Shuttle Endeavour is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States. Endeavour was the fifth and final spaceworthy NASA space shuttle to be built, constructed as a replacement for Challenger...
STS-113
STS-113
STS-113 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station flown by Space Shuttle Endeavour. During the 14-day mission in late 2002, Endeavour and its crew extended the ISS backbone with the P1 truss and exchanged the Expedition 5 and Expedition 6 crews aboard the station...
in November 2002. The mission was expected to be a four-month mission that was to end in March 2003 when Atlantis
Space Shuttle Atlantis
The Space Shuttle Atlantis is a retired Space Shuttle orbiter in the Space Shuttle fleet belonging to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration , the spaceflight and space exploration agency of the United States...
STS-114
STS-114
-Original crew:This mission was to carry the Expedition 7 crew to the ISS and bring home the Expedition 6 crew. The original crew was to be:-Mission highlights:...
was to fly to the Station with the Expedition 7
Expedition 7
Expedition 7 was the seventh expedition to the International Space Station.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Perigee: 384 km*Apogee: 396 km*Inclination: 51.6°*Period: 92 min...
crew. The Columbia disaster changed plans and the crew stayed on the station until May 2003. They returned to earth on Soyuz TMA-1
Soyuz TMA-1
-Mission parameters:*Mass: 7,220 kg , gross *Perigee: 193 km *Apogee: 235 km *Inclination: 51.6° *Period: 88.7 minutes-Docking with ISS:*Docked to ISS: November 1, 2002, 05:01 UTC...
and a reduced Expedition 7
Expedition 7
Expedition 7 was the seventh expedition to the International Space Station.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Perigee: 384 km*Apogee: 396 km*Inclination: 51.6°*Period: 92 min...
crew with just two members was delivered to the ISS on Soyuz TMA-2
Soyuz TMA-2
Soyuz TMA-2 was a Soyuz mission to the International Space Station launched by a Soyuz FG launch vehicle...
. The Space Shuttle was expected to be grounded for up to two years. Ongoing logistical support for the ISS would have to be carried out by Soyuz and Progress flights until the Space Shuttle returned to flight.
The sixth crew of the International Space Station returned to Earth just after 10 p.m. EDT on 3 May 2003 the first time U.S. astronauts have landed in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, though a U.S. space tourist
Space tourism
Space Tourism is space travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. A number of startup companies have sprung up in recent years, hoping to create a space tourism industry...
, Dennis Tito
Dennis Tito
Dennis Anthony Tito is an Italian American engineer and multimillionaire, most widely known as the first space tourist to fund his own trip into space. In mid-2001, he spent nearly eight days in orbit as a crew member of ISS EP-1, a visiting mission to the International Space Station...
, did so in 2001.
Russian Mission Control reported at approximately 2:45 a.m. 4 May that the support helicopters reached the crew and all three astronauts were in good health. The capsule appeared to touch down about 276 miles (444 km) from its planned landing zone.
Originally scheduled to fly on the Expedition 6 Crew in place of Don Pettit was Donald A. Thomas
Donald A. Thomas
Donald Alan Thomas, Ph.D., is an American engineer and a former NASA astronaut.-Education:Graduated from Cleveland Heights High School, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, in 1973; received a bachelor of science degree in Physics from Case Western Reserve University in 1977, and a master of science degree and...
.
Spacewalks
The Expedition Six crew conducted two spacewalks during its stay at the International Space Station. Both were based out of the Quest Airlock, and the spacewalkers used U.S. spacesuits, which are called Extravehicular Mobility Units, or EMUs. The crew was originally scheduled to conduct only one spacewalk, but a second was added to the manifest for 8 April in order to prepare for future assembly missions.The two Expedition Six extravehicular activities bring the total number of spacewalks conducted in support of ISS assembly and maintenance to 51. Of those 51 EVA's, Twenty-six have been based out of the station, with 17 staged from Quest. Bowersox and Pettit accumulated 13 hours and 17 minutes of spacewalking time at the station.
| Mission | Spacewalkers | Start (UTC Coordinated Universal Time Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose... ) |
End (UTC) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expedition 6 EVA 1 |
Ken Bowersox Ken Bowersox Kenneth Dwane "Sox" Bowersox is an engineer, United States Naval officer, and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of five Space Shuttle missions and an extended stay aboard the International Space Station.... Don Pettit |
15 January 2003 12:50 |
15 January 2003 19:41 |
6 hours, 51 minutes |
| Bowersox and Pettit continued outfitting and activating the International Space Station's newest component, the P1 (P-One) Truss. The P1's radiator assembly was a major focus during the spacewalk. Bowersox and Pettit released the remaining launch locks on the radiator assembly, which allowed the radiator assembly to be deployed. Other scheduled tasks completed included removing some debris that was on a sealing ring on the Unity Module's Earth-facing docking port, and they tested an ammonia reservoir on the station's P6 Truss. They were unable to complete one scheduled task—the installation of a light fixture on one of the station's Crew and Equipment Translation Aid, or CETA, carts. The fixture's attachment was rescheduled for a future spacewalk. To complete the spacewalk, Bowersox and Pettit cut away a thermal cover strap that apparently interfered with the rotation of the Quest Airlock's hatch and delayed the start of the extravehicular activity. | ||||
| Expedition 6 EVA 2 |
Bowersox Pettit |
8 April 2003 12:40 |
8 April 2003 19:06 |
6 hours, 26 minutes |
| Bowersox and Pettit reconfigured cables on the S0 (S-Zero), S1 and P1 Trusses for future Integrated Truss Structure component deliveries and replaced a Power Control Module on the Mobile Transporter. They provided Control Moment Gyro No. 2 with a redundant power channel capability by rerouting cables. Then, they installed Spool Positioning Devices on Destiny Laboratory heat exchangers and reinstalled a thermal cover on an S1 Radiator Beam Valve Module. Bowersox and Pettit also unfurled a light stanchion on the CETA cart that did not unfurl properly during their first spacewalk. | ||||
Cultural references
Expedition 6 is the subject of the book Too Far From Home: A Story of Life and Death in Space, by Chris Jones.A dramatised account of Expedition 6 is told in Expedition 6, a play by actor/playwright Bill Pullman
Bill Pullman
William James "Bill" Pullman is an American film, television, and stage actor. Pullman made his film debut in the supporting role of Earl Mott in the 1986 film Ruthless People. He has since gone on to star in other films, including Spaceballs, Independence Day, Lost Highway, Casper and Scary Movie 4...
. The play was scheduled to run at San Francisco's Magic Theater through 7 October 2007.