International Space Station (ISS)

The STS-111 mission, the 14th Shuttle mission to visit the International Space Station (ISS), was launched on June 5, 2002 aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour. On board were the STS-111 and Expedition Five crew members. Astronauts Kerneth D. Cockrell, commander; Paul S. Lockhart, pilot; and mission specialists Franklin R. Chang-Diaz and Philippe Perrin were the STS-111 crew members. Expedition Five crew members included Cosmonaut Valery G. Korzun, commander; and Astronaut Peggy A. Whitson and Cosmonaut Sergei Y. Treschev, flight engineers. Three space walks enabled the STS-111 crew to accomplish the delivery and installation of the Mobile Remote Servicer Base System (MBS), an important part of the Station's Mobile Servicing System that allows the robotic arm to travel the length of the Station, which is necessary for future construction tasks. In this photograph, Astronaut Franklin R. Chang-Diaz participates in the first scheduled session of extra vehicular activity (EVA) for the STS-111 mission. During the space walk, Chang-Diaz and Perrin attached a Power and Data Grapple Fixture onto the ISS's P6 Truss, setting the stage for the future relocation of the P6. The next major task was to remove Service Module Debris Panels from Space Shuttle Endeavour's payload bay and attach them to their temporary location on Pressurized Mating Adapter 1 (PMA-1). The space walkers also removed thermal blankets to prepare the MBS for installation onto the station's Mobile Transporter (MT).