The International Space Station Opens

Commanders Bill Shepherd from the United States and Yuri Gidzenko of Russia, along with Russian flight engineer Sergei Krikalev, became the first temporary residents of the ISS. They spent four months onboard completing tasks necessary to bring the ISS to life and began what is now more than 20 years of continuous human presence in space. Since its opening, a total of 240 astronauts from 19 different countries have been aboard the ISS.