2000
Report # 44 
 Tuesday, October 31, 2000 ñ Noon CST 
 Mission Control Center, Houston, Texas 
 
 The Expedition 1 crew, secure in its Soyuz spacecraft, continues on
course for a rendezvous and docking with the International Space Station,
inaugurating a new era in human space flight. 

Following their launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 1:53 a.m. CST
today, Soyuz Commander Yuri Gidzenko, Expedition 1 Commander Bill Shepherd
and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev successfully deployed docking probes
on the Soyuz and checked out the spacecraftís motion control systems.  On
two consecutive orbits, daily orbits 3 and 4, phasing burns were completed
to keep the Soyuz on course for its rendezvous with the International
Space Station.   A third rendezvous burn is scheduled just before 3 a.m.
tomorrow to slightly raise the Soyuz orbit and slow the rate at which it
is approaching the space station.

During communications passes over Russian ground stations this morning,
the crew talked with flight controllers, providing updated information on
the performance of the Soyuz spacecraft and the crewís activities.  During
their final communications pass of the day, the trio confirmed a
successful test of the external camera that provides cues during
rendezvous and docking, and reported all crew members were feeling well.
Shepherd, Gidzenko and Krikalev went to sleep about 9 a.m. CST today and
will awaken about 6:30 p.m. CST to begin the second day of whatís planned
to be a four-month stay in space.

Flight control teams in Houston have activated life support systems and
air purification units on board the space station, readying the outpost
for the arrival of its first residents early Thursday morning.  In
addition, the flight controllers will support tonightís undocking of the
Progress resupply vehicle, currently docked to the same port on the Zvezda
module of the station to which the Expedition 1 crew will dock Thursday.
The Progress will undock at 10:02 p.m. CST today, and shortly after 1 a.m.
Wednesday will be commanded into a trajectory that will cause it to burn
up in the Earthís atmosphere.  

Coverage of the Expedition One crewís voyage to the International Space
Station will continue on NASA TV and through live video streaming on the
internet at spaceflight.nasa.gov.  The next status report will be issued
about 8 p.m. today or sooner if events warrant.