221102 18:03 – ISS history
It was on this day, Nov. 2, in the year 2000 that the International Space Station received its very first crew.
They were: Russian cosmonauts Sergey Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko and American astronaut William Shepherd, who flew up in a Soyuz spacecraft.
The project, which began as an American effort, was long delayed by funding and technical problems. Originally called Freedom in the 1980s by U.S. Pres. Ronald Reagan, who authorized the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to build it within 10 years, it was redesigned in the 1990s to reduce costs and expand international involvement, at which time it was renamed. In 1993 the United States and Russia agreed to merge their separate space station plans into a single facility, integrating their respective modules and incorporating contributions from the European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan.
Did you know? More than 200 astronauts from 20 different countries have visited the ISS. Astronauts typically stay on the ISS for about six months.
Thank you for reading today's post. Have an InterStellar Day! ~PrP
