A tour of the ISS

摘要

I am Frank Culbertson, currently program manager for Science Applications International but previously Commander for Expedition Three. Seeing the Space Station for the very first time from the Shuttle is an incredible sight (Fig. la). Closing that hatch (Fig. 1b) and saying goodbye to the people who brought you up there and knowing that it is just going to be the three of you for the next 4-6 months is an amazing feeling. Upon entering the 1SS, you can see the 16 flags representing each of the International Partners (Fig. 1d). The forward end of the laboratory contains our American segment communications link to the ground. The camera shown in Fig. 1c is used for videoconferences with our friends and family on the ground and there is a computer network through which we can transfer data and receive procedure updates from the ground.