The International Space Station - The Expeditions Are Downsized

The ISS partners decided to limit future station crews to only two people. This would make it easier for the Russians to assume all responsibility for resupplying the crew with food, water, and other necessities. In April 2003 the two-member Expedition 7 crew flew to the station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft. The crew included one American astronaut and one Russian cosmonaut. Unable to proceed with assembly, they were kept busy maintaining the station and performing limited scientific research. One of the largest drawbacks to ISS science is the presence of only two crewmembers. The number of new and continuing experiments that could be conducted had to be reduced so the crews could devote more time to station maintenance and operation.

In October 2003 the Expedition 8 crew arrived aboard a Soyuz to replace them. This crew also included one Russian and one American. In addition, an ESA astronaut from Spain came along and visited the station for several days. He returned to Earth aboard the Soyuz with the Expedition 7 crew.

The Expedition 8 crew were delivered supplies by a Progress spacecraft in late January 2004. They returned to Earth aboard a Soyuz rocket in April 2004 after the arrival of Expedition 9, which consisted of a Russian, an American, and an ESA astronaut from the Netherlands. The Expedition 10 crew launched in October 2004 aboard a Soyuz rocket. Also along was Russian Space Forces Test Cosmonaut Yuri Shargin (1960–), who returned to Earth with the Expedition 9 crew. Expedition 11 arrived at the ISS in April 2005. It included an ESA astronaut who caught a flight home with the Expedition 10 crew aboard a Soyuz rocket. In late September 2005 the Expedition 12 crew and space tourist Greg Olsen (1945–) left Earth for the ISS. Olson returned to Earth with the Expedition 11 crew. The American commander and Russian flight engineer of Expedition 12 were scheduled to remain at the space station for six months.

Table 5.7 lists all ISS missions flown as of February 2006. From the time that assembly began, the United States made seventeen flights to the ISS, and the Russians made thirty-four flights.