International Space Station (ISS) Diary
Expedition 4

This section of the diary covers the period between 2001 December and 2002 June. Yuri Onufrienko, Carl Walz and Dan Bursch continue work aboard the Station and receive Mark Shuttleworth of South Africa.

 

Date and Time (GMT)

Event

2001 Dec 5

22:19

Space Shuttle Endeavour launched from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center on mission STS-108 into orbit of 225 x 230 kilometres at 51.6 degrees inclination with crew consisting of Capt Dominic L Gorie, USN (commander), Lt-Cdr Mark E Kelly, USN  (pilot), mission specialists Dr Linda M Godwin and Daniel M Tani - Endeavour also carries the ISS Expedition 4 crew consisting of Col Yuri I Onufrienko, Russian Air Force (station commander), Col Carl E Walz, USAF and Capt Daniel W Bursch, USN

2001 Dec 6

02:00

Endeavour's orbit is 234 x 384 kilometres

2001 Dec 7

20:03

Endeavour docks with the PMA-2 Adaptor at the forward-facing end of Destiny but the vehicles do not latch because of a slight misalignment in the docking units

2001 Dec 7

20:51

Endeavour's docking with the ISS is completed - orbit is 370 x 383 kilometres

2001 Dec 7

22:43

Hatches are opened between Endeavour and the ISS - Endeavour's cargo include 6,000 US flags for distribution to heroes and families involved in the 2001 Sep 11 attack on the World Trade Center

2001 Dec 8

17:01

Logistics module Rafaello is unberthed from Endeavour's cargo bay using the Shuttle's remote manipulator system

2001 Dec 8

17:55

Rafaello is docked with the Common Berthing Mechanism on the underside of Destiny

2001 Dec 8

22:11

The crew completes transfer of the Expedition 4 contoured seats into Soyuz TM-33, the Station is then officially "handed over" to Expedition 4

2001 Dec 9

01:30

The hatch between Destiny and Rafaello is opened and the crew begins transferring equipment

2001 Dec 9

-

A series of thruster firings by Endeavour over a one hour period raises the ISS orbit - it is now 374 x 385 kilometres

2001 Dec 10

00:43

Hatches between the ISS and Endeavour are sealed in order to allow the shuttle's air pressure to be reduced prior to a space walk

2001 Dec 10

17:52

Godwin & Tani start a space walk to install insulation around the top of the ISS truss structure, they also made an attempt to secure one of four legs that brace the starboard station array but were unable to close the latch (open since the array was installed) - they retrieved an errant electrical cover (lost during 2001 Apr 24 during the STS-100 mission), and positioned two switches to be retrieved and installed during the upcoming STS-110 mission

2001 Dec 10

22:04

Godwin and Tani complete their space walk after 4 hr 12 min

2001 Dec 10

23:55

Hatches between the ISS and Endeavour are re-opened after the space walk

2001 Dec 11

-

Mission managers inform the crew of Endeavour that their mission has been extended by one day in order to assist with additional maintenance tasks on the station, including work on a treadmill and air compressor in Zvezda

2001 Dec 11

15:25

A second hour-long series of thruster firings by Endeavour raises the ISS orbit - it is now 378 x 386 kilometres

2001 Dec 12

15:20

A third series of thruster firings by Endeavour raises the ISS orbit - it is now 388 x 390 kilometres

2002 Dec 14

15:00

A handover ceremony is held between the Expedition 3 and Expedition 4 crews

2002 Dec 14

16:00

Approximate time - hatches between Destiny and Rafaello are sealed

2002 Dec 14

20:00

Approximate time - Rafaello is undocked from Destiny using Endeavour's Remote Manipulator System

2001 Dec 14

22:44

Rafaello is re-berthed in Endeavour's cargo bay

2001 Dec 15

-

A fourth, minor engine firing by endeavour increases the miss distance from an orbiting Russian rocket stage that was predicted to pass with 4.8 kilometres of the Station

2001 Dec 15

13:16

Hatches between the ISS and Endeavour are closed prior to the shuttle's departure

2001 Dec 15

14:55

A 20 minute firing sequence using Endeavour's thrusters raises the ISS orbit by 1 kilometre and ensures that a thirty year old spent Russian rocket increases its predicted miss distance from 5 kilometres to 40 kilometres

2001 Dec 15

17:28

Endeavour undocks from the ISS and begins a fly-round - Endeavour then fires its thrusters and moves away

2001 Dec 16

15:02

Endeavour deploys a "Getaway Special" satellite Starshine 2 from its cargo bay

2001 Dec 17

16:50

Endeavour fires its OMS engines to initiate re-entry

2001 Dec 17

17:55

Endeavour lands on the Kennedy Space Center runway

2001 Dec 17

17:56

Wheel stop - Endeavour's mission is over and the ISS crew exchange between Expedition 3 and Expedition 4 has been completed

2002 Jan 8

19:45

Approximate time - Progress M1-7's rocket engines are tested briefly prior to an orbit re-boost planned for the following day - orbit is 378 x 381 kilometres

2002 Jan 10

01:35

Mission Control, Moscow fire Progress M1-7's rocket engines in the first stage of a two-part re-boost of the ISS orbit

2002 Jan 10

03:43

Mission Control, Moscow fire Progress M1-7's rocket engines in the second stage of a two-part re-boost of the ISS orbit - it is now 392 x 401 kilometres, nearly two kilometres lower than expected - when calculating parameters of the burn, Russian engineers did not allow sufficiently for the pressure drop in the 30 metre long internal fuel line from Zvezda to Progress

2002 Jan 14

20:59

Using the Pirs module airlock, Onufrienko and Walz start a space walk to install the Strela-2 crane on the outside of Pirs, and to mount an amateur radio antenna on the outside of Zvezda

2002 Jan 15

03:02

Onufrienk and Walz complete their space walk after 6 hr 12 min

2002 Jan 25

15:19

Using the Pirs module airlock, Onufrienko and Walz start a space walk to retrieve equipment left outside for long-duration space exposure studies, complete the mounting of an amateur radio antenna on the outside of Zvezda, and to install shields on Zvezda's thrusters to reduce gas contamination of the station's surface

2002 Jan 25

21:18

Onufrienk and Walz complete their space walk after 5 hr 59 min, taking 15 minutes longer than anticipated

2002 Jan 26

-

ISS passes close to a piece of debris from an exploded Pegasus rocket stage (launched the STEP-2 satellite in 1994) - it is not considered a serious threat

2002 Jan 29

21:02

ISS passes 14.8 kilometres from a piece of debris from a Scout rocket (launched a pair of store-forward comsats in 1990) - it is not considered a serious threat

2002 Jan 30

07:41

ISS again passes close to the piece of debris from an exploded Pegasus rocket stage (launched the STEP-2 satellite in 1994) - again it is not considered a serious threat

2002 Feb 1

-

The crew remove the electronics pack from the Progress M1-7 Kurs rendezvous system - it will be stored and later returned to Earth for re-use

2002 Feb 4

-

A software problem causes Zvezda's computers to have to be re-booted - the Station goes into free drift while this is happening

2002 Feb 20

11:38

Half an hour earlier than planned, Walz and Bursch begin a space walk from the Quest airlock (the first time it has been used without a Shuttle Orbiter attached to the station) - they connected cables on the outside of the station and retrieved tools from a previous work area as well as removing various covers from external apparatus

2002 Feb 20

14:05

Walz and Bursch stop work momentarily to mark the 40th anniversary of John Glenn's first US orbital space mission

2002 Feb 20

16:25

Walz and Bursch complete their space walk after 4 hr 47 min - they were originally planned to be outside for 5½ hours

2002 Feb 21

-

By way of testing Progress M1-7's thrusters, ISS orbit is raised from 378 x 385 kilometres to 378 x 393 kilometres

2002 Feb 21

-

The ISS crew retreats into the Russian segment of the station due to an odour in the US segment, emanating from Quest - the PMA-1 hatch is partially closed

2002 Feb 22

-

The crew re-opens the US station segment after the atmosphere has been purged - the odour is put down to a contaminated carbon dioxide scrubber releasing gases when it was being re-charged

2002 Feb 27

-

Computers in the US segment of the station suffer a temporary breakdown

2002 Mar 1

-

Approximate time - the ISS crew photographs the vapour trail left by Shuttle Columbia as it sets of on the STS-109 Hubble Telescope repair mission

2002 Mar 1

-

The crew begins preparing the Kolibri micro-satellite for launch from Progress M1-7 when it departs

2002 Mar 3

03:02

Planned time for an avoidance manoeuvre to take the ISS away from an item of orbiting space debris - it does not take place as the miss-distance is deemed to be safe

2002 Mar 8

-

During a test with the station's remote manipulator arm, it is confirmed that one of it's 'wrist' joints has failed

2002 Mar 9

13:30

ISS and Shuttle Columbia, on its HST Repair mission, exchange messages by direct radio link

2002 Mar 13

00:06

ISS orbit is raised using the engines of Progress M1-7 - the purpose is two-fold - as well as raising the orbit, it puts the ISS in the right position for the upcoming Progress M1-8 launch

2002 Mar 13

00:52

A second firing of Progress M1-7's engine completes the orbit re-bost - orbit is now 392 x 397 kilometres

2002 Mar 19

-

Progress M1-8 and its launching rocket are rolled out to the launch pad at Baikonur Cosmodrome

2002 Mar 19

17:43

Progress M1-7 undocks from the International Space Station

2002 Mar 19

17:46

Progress M1-7 fires its thrusters to begin moving away from the ISS

2002 Mar 19

21:40

A second firing of Progress M1-7's engines speeds up the rate of separation

2002 Mar 19

22:28

Kolibri', a small Russian/Australian satellite is released, using springs, from Progress M1-7 into an orbit of x kilometres at 51.6 degrees inclination - it is intended for use in comparative studies of near-Earth space over Europe and Australia, as well as for investigation of processes in Earth's radiation belts and Earth's magnetosphere during solar flares

2002 Mar 20

01:27

Progress M1-7 fires its onboard engine and re-enters the Earth's atmosphere to burn up over the Pacific Ocean

2002 Mar 21

20:13

Progress M1-8 cargo supply ship launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome Soyuz-U rocket into an orbit of 189 x 233 kilometres at 51.6 degrees inclination - it carries 2.4 tonnes of supplies, including propellant for replenishing Zvezda's tanks and will take one day loner than usual to reach the ISS - this is due to tests being carried out accelerometers for the new Soyuz TMA vehicle - first launch due 2002 October

2002 Mar 22

05:10

Progress M1-8 orbit is 284 x 313 kilometers

2002 Mar 22

-

Onufrienko and Walz are given a course of instruction by Mission Control-Moscow in operating the TORU remote control system for use with Progress

2002 Mar 24

20:57

Under the control of Mission Control Centre - Moscow, Progress M1-8 docks with the rear-facing port of Zvezda, recently cleared by the departure of Progress M-45 - the docking does not produce a seal between the two spacecraft - ISS orbit is 389 x 394 kilometres

2002 Mar 25

00:00

The hatch between Progress M1-8 and the ISS is opened for the first time

2002 Mar 27

11:55

ISS passes within 3 kilometres of a piece of debris from the 2002 launch of India's PSLV rocket - avoiding action is not necessary

2002 Mar 27

13:15

Russian mission controllers begin a series of tests that finish with test firings of Progress M1-8's attitude control thrusters

2002 Jun 4

14:27

A problem with a liquid hydrogen vent pipe on the launch support structure causes NASA to delay the day's planned launch of Endeavour until April 8

2002 Apr 8

18:44

After a brief hold in the final moments of countdown, the crew of thge ISS observes Space Shuttle Atlantis being launched from Launch Complex  39B at the Kennedy Space Center on mission STS-110 into orbit of  155 x 230 kilometres at 51.6 degrees inclination, with a crew consisting of Lt-Col Michael Bloomfield USAF (commander) Cdr Stephen Frick USN (pilot), and Mission Specialists Lt-Col Rex Walheim USAF, Ellen Ochoa, Lee Morin, Jerry Ross and Stephen Smith

2002 Apr 9

-

Unufrienko and Bursch remove the electronics pack from the Soyuz TM-33 Kurs rendezvous system - it will be stored and later returned to Earth for re-use

2001 Apr 10

16:05

Atlantis docks with the PMA-2 Adaptor at the forward-facing end of Destiny - orbit is 384 x 388 kilometres

2001 Apr 10

18:07

The hatches between Atlantis and the ISS are opened

2002 Apr 11

10:45

Ochoa uses the ISS Remote Manipulator System to unberth the S-0 Truss from Atlantis's cargo bay

2002 Apr 11

14:30

The S-0 Truss is berthed in its cradle on the ISS

2002 Apr 11

14:35

Smith and Walheim begin a space walk to install struts for the S-0 Truss, install electronic equipment and connect cables, and to inspect an area of thermal insulation around the Station's GPS antenna (they confirm that part of the insulation is blocking one of the antennae

2002 Apr 11

22:24

Smith and Walheim complete their space walk after 7 hr 48 min, having taken about one hour longer than planned and having to postpone some of their work

2002 Apr 12

-

Cosmonautics Day in Russia - celebrating 41 years since Gagarin's flight, also the 21st anniversary of Columbia's launch on the first space shuttle mission

2002 Apr 13

14:09

Ross and Morin begin a space walk to add further struts to support the S-0 Truss, and connect more cables

2002 Apr 13

21:39

Ross and Morin complete their space walk after 7 hr 30 min

2002 Apr 13

22:39

A series of firings by Atlantis's Reaction Control System over a one hour period raises the ISS orbit slightly - it is now 385 x 389 kilometres kilometres

2002 Apr 14

13:48

Smith and Walheim begin a space walk to release the temporary clamp holding the S-0 Truss in place until the struts were installed, to remove clamps holding Truss cables in place during the launch, and to fit additional handrails to the outside of the station

2002 Apr 14

20:15

Smith and Walheim complete their space walk after 6 hr 27 min

2002 Apr 14

21:52

A second series of firings by Atlantis's Reaction Control System over a one hour period raises the ISS orbit slightly - it is now 385 x 391 kilometres kilometres

2002 Apr 15

12:22

Walz starts a seven minute test of the mobile section of the S-0 Truss, running it along it tracks - the test is not completed

2002 Apr 15

21:40

Walz completes the test of the S-0 Truss 'railcar'

2002 Apr 16

14:29

Ross and Morin begin a space walk to add a connecting handrail between the S-0 Truss and the Quest airlock, to continue connecting cables and releasing safety clamps, to install floodlights on the outside of the station, and to adjust the position of a thermal blanket that is blocking one of the GPS antennae

2002 Apr 16

21:06

Ross and Morin complete their space walk after 6 hr 37 min

2002 Apr 17

12:20

A third series of firings by Atlantis's thrusters over a one hour period raises the ISS orbit to 388 x 400 kilometres

2002 Apr 17

16:00

Approximate time - hatches between the ISS and Atlantis are closed

2002 Apr 17

18:30

Atlantis undocks from the ISS and begins a fly-round - Atlantis then fires its thrusters and moves away

2002 Apr 18

09:53

A six minute test is conducted on the Soyuz TM-33 thrusters prior to it being re-positioned on April 20

2002 Apr 19

15:20

Atlantis fires its OMS engines to initiate re-entry

2002 Aug 19

16:26

Atlantis lands on the Kennedy Space Center runway

2002 Aug 19

16:27

Wheel stop - Atlantis's mission is over

2002 Apr 20

03:15

Soyuz TM-33's sytems are activated prior to it being re-positioned, and the crew begins to de-activate the Station

2002 Apr 20

05:00

Hatches between the Iss and Soyuz TM-33 are closed

2002 Apr 20

09:16

Soyuz TM-33 undocks from Zvezda and moves along the hull of the station

2002 Apr 20

09:37

Soyuz TM-33 re-docks at the Station's Pirs module

2002 Apr 20

11:30

The ISS crew re-enters the station from Soyuz TM-33

2002 Apr 23

01:00

Soyuz TM-34 and its launching rocket are rolled out to the launch pad at Baikonur Cosmodrome

2002 Apr 25

06:26

Soyuz TM-34 spacecraft launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into an orbit at approximately 185 x 210 kilometres at 51.6 degrees inclination, carrying a Soyuz "Taxi" crew consisting of Yuri Gidzenko (commander), Roberto Vittori of Italy and working for ESA (Flight Engineer no 1), and Mark Shuttleworth - a private citizen of South Africa

2002 Apr 25

10:10

Soyuz TM-34 completes its first orbital correction

2002 Apr 25

11:00

Soyuz TM-34 completes its second orbital correction - orbit is now 242 x 270 kilometres

2002 Apr 26

07:22

Soyuz TM-34 completes its third orbital correction - orbit is lowered slightly to 244 x 266 kilometres

2002 Apr 27

07:55

Soyuz TM-34 docks with the downward facing port of Zarya - ISS orbit is 388 x 398 kilometres

2002 Apr 27

-

The crew seats are switched between Soyuz TM-34 and Soyuz TM-33

2002 Apr 28

-

Shuttlewoth takes a telephone call from President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa

2002 May 2

-

Mission control - Moscow conducts a firing test of Soyuz TM-33's thrusters

2002 May 4

20:15

The Taxi crew re-activates Soyuz TM-34 prior to departure

2002 May 4

21:15

Hatches between Pirs and Soyuz TM-34 are closed

2002 May 5

00:31

Soyuz TM-33 undocks from the Pirs module carrying the Taxi crew of Gidzenko, Vittori and Shuttleworth

2002 May 5

03:52

Soyuz TM-32 lands 26 kilometres south-east of Arkalyk in Kazakhstan

2002 May 15

-

Mission managers determine that the ISS is to pass 3.3 kilometres from the spent rocket stage from the Cosmos 2292 launch

2002 May 15

22:30

The thrusters of Progress M1-8 are used to raise the Station's orbit slightly in order to increase the miss distance from the Cosmos 2292 rocket stage

2002 May 20

18:21

The Station passes near a spent Indian-launched rocket stage - no avoidance manoeuvre is necessary

2002 May 22

-

The thrusters of Progress M1-8 are fired to make a minor orbital correction - orbit is 384 x 395 kilometres

2002 May 26

19:48

The SS passes 4.6 kilometres from the spent rocket stage from the Cosmos 185 launch

2002 May 29

03:12

The SS passes 4.5 kilometres from a spent Delta rocket stage from a GPS  launch of 1993

2002 May 30

-

Onufrienko conducts voice and telemetry tests with the tracking ship 'Cosmonaut Viktor Patsayev' which is tied up in the harbour of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea

2002 May 30

23:44

Planned launch time for Endeavour on the STS-111 mission - the launch is delayed

2002 Jun 5

21:22

After several delays due to weather, Space Shuttle Endeavour launched from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on mission STS-111 into orbit of 155 x 235 kilometres at 51.6 degrees inclination with crew consisting of Kenneth Cockrell (commander), Lt-Col Paul S Lockhart USAF (pilot), mission specialists Franklin Chang-Diaz PhD and Col Phillipe Perrin of the French Air Force (CNES) - Endeavour also carries the ISS Expedition 5 crew consisting of Col Valeriy G Korzun of the Russian Air Force (station commander), Peggy Whitson PhD and Sergei Y Treschev

2002 Jun 6

03:00

Endeavour's orbit is 233 x 333 kilometres

2002 Jun 7

16:25

Endeavour docks with the PMA-2 Adaptor at the forward-facing end of Destiny - orbit is 381 x 389 kilometres

2002 Jun 7

19:08

The hatches between Endeavour and the ISS are opened

2002 Jun 7

22:55

The Expedition 5 crew formally takes command of the ISS

2002 Jun 8

11:00

Approximate time - the bearing in a Control Moment Gyro on the Z-1 truss fails

2002 Jun 8

13:29

Endeavour's commander Ken Cockrell attaches the Shuttle's remote manipulator arm to the logistics module Leonardo

2002 Jun 8

13:45

Logistics module Leonardo is unberthed from Endeavour's cargo bay

2002 Jun 8

14:28

Leonardo is attached to the Common Berthing Mechanism on the underside of Destiny

2002 Jun 9

15:27

Chang-Diaz and Perrin begin a space walk to attach equipment to the outside of the Station, examine the thermal covering over the failed gyro, and to remove unnecessary thermal blanket from another are on the outside of the station

2002 Jun 9

22:41

Chang-Diaz and Perrin complete their space walk after 7 hr 14 min

2002 Jun 10

09:03

Whitson and Walz use the Station's remote manipulator system to attach the Base Unit on the S0 truss's Mobile Transporter

2002 Jun 10

20:53

A series of thruster firings by Endeavour over a one hour period raises the ISS orbit - it is now 382 x 391 kilometres

2002 Jun 11

15:20

Chang-Diaz and Perrin begin a second space walk to attach video, data and power cables to the Mobile Base Unit, use a torque wrench to complete the Unit's installation and to re-locate an external TV camera

2002 Jun 12

00:19

Walz and Bursch pass the previous US long duration mission record of 184 days 4 hrs set by Shannon Lucid aboard Mir

2002 Jun 12