International Space Station in 2001: The Early Years with Newly Added Canadarm2

International Space Station in 2001: The Early Years with Newly Added Canadarm2

This photo is twenty-five-years old today.

The assembly of the International Space Station, a major project in space architecture, began in November 1998. Backdropped against the blue and white Earth and sporting a readily visible new addition in the form of Canadarm2, the International Space Station (ISS) was photographed by the STS-100 crew aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour following its separation from the space station.

As STS-100 Pilot Jeff Ashby slowly backed Endeavour away, Commander Kent Rominger and Expedition Two flight engineer Susan Helms exchanged final wishes for Endeavour’s planned return to Earth, and a continued safe journey for the station crew. Once Endeavour was at a distance of 450 feet from the station, Ashby initiated flyaround of the station as Mission Specialist Yuri Lonchakov activated a large-format IMAX camera in Endeavour’s payload bay to photograph the station.

At 1:28 p.m., with the flyaround complete, Ashby fired a separation burn, initiating Endeavour’s final departure from the orbiting complex, now equipped with a new Canadian-built robotic arm and communications antenna, installed by Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski and Chris Hadfield during two spacewalks. During eight days of joint operations, the two crews also transferred more than three tons of supplies, equipment and scientific experiments to the station.

Discover more about Canadian space robotics:

https://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/iss/robotics/default.asp

An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada.

Credit: NASA
Date: April 29, 2001

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