ISS: Expedition 6

Launch from Cape Canaveral (KSC); landing in 460 km southwest of the intended site in Kazakhstan (49° 27' 48'' N, 61° 20' 36'' E).

Following a two day solo flight the Endeavour docked to the ISS on November 25, 2002. The crew replaced the expedition 5 crew. STS-113 was an Assembly Mission (11A) to the International Space Station, delivering the P1 Truss segment, which provides structural support for the Space Station radiators. Mission Specialists John Herrington and Michael Lopez-Alegria performed three spacewalks to activate and outfit the P1. The STS-113 crew and both Expedition crews transferred about 1,969 kilograms (4,340 pounds) of cargo between the shuttle and station.

19 experiments on different scientific fields were carried out.

The first EVA in this expedition was performed by Kenneth Bowersox and Donald Pettit on January 15, 2003 (6h 51m) to continue outfitting and activating the International Space Station's newest component, the P1 (P-One) Truss and relocate a toolbox from the Z1 Truss to one of the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid.

The second EVA by Kenneth Bowersox and Donald Pettit occured on April 08, 2003 (6h 26m) to reconfigure power connections, provide a second power source for one of the Station's control moment gyroscopes, secure thermal covers on quick disconnect fittings for the station's thermal control system and to get a latch unstuck, which holds down a support for a light on the Crew and Equipment Translation Aid (CETA) carts.

The mission was expected to be a four months mission that was to end in March 2003 when 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.

During the stay on board of the ISS the crew of expedition 6 carried out the following scientific experiments:
ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station),
Biopsy (Effect of Prolonged Space Flight on Human Skeletal Muscle),
Biorisk (Influence of Factors of the Space Environment on the Condition of the System of Microorganisms-Hosts Relating to the Problem of Environmental Safety of Flight Techniques and Planetary Quarantine),
Brados (Acquisition of Data About the Radiological, Electromagnetic and Different Physical Environments on Board ISS, and Their Effects on the Safety of the Crew, Space Equipment and Materials),
Cardio-ODNT (Dynamics of the Main Factors of Cardiac Function, of Central and Regional Circulation in Rest and During the Influence of Lower Body Negative Pressure),
CEO (Crew Earth Observations),
Clinical Nutrition Assessment (Clinical Nutrition Assessment of ISS Astronauts, SMO-016E),
Diatomeya (Stability of Geographical Position and Configuration of Borders of Bioproductive Water Zones of the World Oceans, Observations by Orbition Station Crews),
EarthKAM (Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students),
Environmental Monitoring (Environmental Monitoring of the International Space Station),
Epstein-Barr (Space Flight Induced Reactivation of Latent Epstein-Barr Virus),
EVARM (A Study of Radiation Doses Experienced by Astronauts in EVA),
Farma (Characteristics of Pharmacological Responses (absorption, distribution and elimination of acetominophene) in Long Duration Space Flight),
Foot (Foot Reaction Forces During Space Flight),
Identifikatsia (Identification of the Sources of Dynamic Loads on ISS),
Inflight Education Downlinks (International Space Station Inflight Education Downlinks),
InSPACE (Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions),
Iskazheniye (Determination and Analysis of Magnetic Interference on ISS),
ISS Acoustics (International Space Station Acoustic Measurement Program),
Izgib (Effect of Performance of Flight and Science Activities on the Function of On-Orbit Systems on ISS (Mathematical Model)),
Kromka (Verification of the Effectiveness of Devices for the Protection of the Exterior Surface of ISS from Contaminants Deposited by Pulsed Cycling of Liquid-Jet),
Meteoroid (Recording Meteoroidal and Technogenic Particles on the External Surface of the Service Module of the Russian Segment of ISS),
MISSE-1 and 2 (Materials International Space Station Experiment - 1 and 2),
Mobility (Promoting Sensorimotor Response Generalizability: A Countermeasure to Mitigate Locomotor Dysfunction After Long-Duration Space Flight),
Molniya-SM (Investigation of Lightning Discharges in the Earth's Atmosphere and Lower Ionosphere),
Paradont (Condition of Peridontal Tissues in Space Flight),
PCG-STES-IDQC (Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System-Improved Diffraction Quality of Crystals),
PCG-STES-MS (Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System - Crystal Growth Model System for Material Science),
PCG-STES-RGE (Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System-Regulation of Gene Expression),
PCG-STES-SA (Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System-Science and Applications of Facility Hardware for Protein Crystal Growth),
PCG-STES-VEKS (Protein Crystal Growth-Single Locker Thermal Enclosure System-Vapor Equilibrium Kinetics Studies),
Plasma Crystal (Dusty and Liquid Plasma Crystals in Conditions of Microgravity),
Platan (Search for Low Energy Heavy Particles of Solar and Galactic Origin),
Privyazka (Development of High Precision Orientation of Scientific Devices in Space with Reports of Deformation of the ISS Hull),
Profilaktika (Mechanisms of Action and Influence, and Effectiveness of Various Methods of Phrophylaxis Directed Toward Prevention of Disturbances of the Human Locomotion System in Weightlessness),
Prognoz (Development of a Method of Operational Prediction of Work Load on Crew Piloting Objectives),
PuFF (The Effects of EVA and Long-Term Exposure to Microgravity on Pulmonary Function),
Pulse (Vegatative (Autonomic) Regulation of the Cardio-Respiratory System of Humans in Conditions of Weightlessness),
Rastenia (Growth and Development of Higher Plants through Multiple Generations),
Relaksatia (Processes of Relaxation in the Ultraviolet Band Spectrum by High Velocity Interaction of Exhaust Products on ISS),
Renal Stone (Renal Stone Risk During Spaceflight: Assessment and Countermeasure Validation),
Saturday Morning Science (Science of Opportunity),
SKR (Skorpion: Development and Acquisition of Multifunctional Control-Measurement Device for Controlling the Environment of Scientific Experiments Inside a Pressurized Station),
Subregional Bone (Subregional Assessment of Bone Loss in the Axial Skeleton in Long-term Space Flight),
Tenzor (Definition of Dynamic Characteristics of ISS),
Uragan (Hurricane: Experimental Development of Groundbased System of Monitoring and Predicting the Progression of a Naturally Occurring Technogenic Catastrophe),
Vektor-T (Study of a High Precision System for Prediction Motion of ISS),
ZCG (Zeolite Crystal Growth).

They were replaced by a crew of two, because of changed flight plans after the Columbia tragedy. The landing was more dramatical than planned. The new Soyuz TMA-1 capsule, used for the first time as a lifeboat, made a ballistic landing after a computer failure, resulting in a high deceleration force (8 g) and a high-anxiety off-course landing 460 km far from the planned landing point, north of the Aral Sea. It took four hours, before the rescue team could safe them. Statements then were, that the crew was not injured, only Donald Pettit had some problems with gravity effects. Later on the news said, that Donald Pettit injured his shoulder badly during that landing.