In 2000, a crew for the first time headed for the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket for four months to prepare ISS facility for research

In 2000, a crew for the first time headed for the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket for four months to prepare ISS facility for research. Expedition 1 began on October 31, 2000, with William Shepherd, Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev. The crew activated station systems, supported assembly, hosted shuttle crews and prepared the ISS for research.