20 Years Of People On International Space Station, Unravelling Secrets Of Final Frontier

On October 31, 2000, veteran NASA astronaut William Shepherd left earth on a journey to the international space station (ISS) with the distinction of becoming its first commander beginning almost two decades of continuous human presence in low-earth orbit.

The Soyuz booster is transported to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakstan. Two days later, U.S. astronaut Bill Shepherd, and Russian cosmonauts Sergei Krikalyov and Yuri Gidzenko blasted off to become the first residents on the International Space Station.??

Expedition 1 crew members, Sergei K. Krikalev, Bill Shepherd and Yuri P. Gidzenko pose for final photos prior to their launch aboard a Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

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A cloud of smoke surrounds the Soyuz rocket seconds before liftoff from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakstan, carrying the first residents of the International Space Station.??

The Expedition 1 crew members pose with fresh oranges onboard the Zvezda Service Module of the Earth-orbiting International Space Station on Dec. 4, 2000. Pictured, from left, are cosmonaut Yuri P. Gidzenko, Soyuz commander; astronaut Bill Shepherd, mission commander; and cosmonaut Sergei K. Krikalev, flight engineer.

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With its first piece launched in 1998, the International Space Station already has logged 22 years in orbit. NASA and its partners contend it easily has several years of usefulness left 260 miles (400 kilometers) up.??

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Astronauts spend most of their six-month stints these days keeping the space station running and performing science experiments.??

A few astronauts have even spent close to a year up there on a single flight, serving as medical guinea pigs.

The International Space Station, backdropped against black space above Earth's horizon, is seen from the Space Shuttle Discovery on March 19, 2001.??

Expedition 1 mission commander Bill Shepherd works in a docking compartment aboard the International Space Station on Dec. 5, 2000.??

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Expedition 1 flight engineer Sergei K. Krikalev works in the Zvezda Service Module, with his feet anchored in a tunnel hatchway, aboard the International Space Station on Dec. 6, 2000.? ?