Reflecting on a decade of permanent human presence in orbit

Space · Published 19 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: NASA's Bill Shepherd, the first commander of the International Space Station, looks back on ten years of continuous human occupancy and the station's role in international diplomacy.

During a visit to the Johnson Space Center on September 14, 2010, Shepherd reflected on the growth and maturation of the ISS. He highlighted how the station partnership has helped forge solid international relations.

The footage commemorates the inaugural mission, featuring Shepherd alongside Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko, both Russian Flight Engineers. Departing from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome on 31 October 2000, this team arrived at the station by 2 November 2000.

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