spacetoday.net: Expedition Six officially takes over ISS

Posted: Sat, Nov 30, 2002, 3:25 PM ET (2025 GMT)
ISS illustration (NASA)

The three-man Expedition Six crew formally took over control of the International Space Station in a ceremony Friday afternoon. During a change-of-command ceremony, American astronaut Ken Bowersox took command of the station, relieving Valery Korzun, the Russian cosmonaut who commanded Expedition Five. The ceremony was a formality as the de facto crew changeover took place shortly after the shuttle docked on Monday and the custom-fitted seat liners in the Soyuz module that serves as the station's lifeboat were swapped out. The shuttle will remain docked with the station until Monday, with one more spacewalk by astronauts John Herrington and Michael Lopez-Alegria scheduled for Saturday.