20 years on the International Space Station

On November 2, 2000, the Expedition 1 mission arrived on the International Space Station after successfully completing its journey aboard the Sojuz TM-31: to compose it the first resident crew. Today the aerospace agencies that in two decades have taken part in the project celebrate the anniversary, recognizing the contribution made to everything related to the study of space, in view of an imminent return to the Moon with the Artemis initiative and looking beyond the conquest of Mars.

ISS: the first resident crew twenty years ago

The era of the ISS is about to close, at least as far as operations related to scientific research are concerned: the latest cargo of material intended for the laboratories was sent by NASA in May. In the future the structure will be converted into a tourist destination and even a film set for the filming of a film starring Tom Cruise.



Being close to Halloween, NASA has chosen to celebrate the anniversary by sharing the images of some of the astronauts who over the years have tried their hand at various types of disguises in the night between 31 October and 1 November. In the image above, on the left, also the Italian Luca Parmitano in an unprecedented Superman version from Expedition 37 dated 2013.

The crew of Expedition 1 was made up of the American William Shepherd and the Russians Sergej Konstantinovič Krikalëv and Jurij Pavlovič Gidzenko, who remained aboard the International Space Station for a total of 136 days, until March 2001.

Source: NASA