Imagery The International Space Station, composed of the U.S. Unity Module (top) and the Russian Zarya Module, was photographed by a crew member after the shuttle undocked.

Shuttle Crew Supplies and Outfits New Space Station
Space Shuttle Discovery and the STS-96 crew visited the new International Space Station for six days of docked activities. This flight represented the first shuttle docking to the fledgling space outpost.

The first major task for the shuttle astronauts was preparing for, then performing, a spacewalk to outfit the Zarya and Unity Modules and the mating adapter to which they are attached. Afterwards, the crew focused on transferring nearly 1,360 kilograms (3,000 pounds) of equipment from the shuttle to the ISS for use by future station crews.

The crew also replaced battery recharge controller modules in the six batteries stored inside the Zarya Module. A power distribution unit and transceiver in the Unity Module was replaced, enabling controllers from Mission Control in Houston, Texas to send comands to the station via an Early Communications System.

Wrapping up the mission, Commander Kent Rominger and Pilot Rick Husband, landed the shuttle at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. on Sunday, June 6 at 1:03 a.m. CDT (0603 GMT). This was the 11th night landing in shuttle program history as the shuttle Discovery completed a 6.4-million kilometer (4-million mile) trek to resupply the station.

EVAs STS-96 Mission Specialist Tamara Jernigan rides the shuttle's robotic arm preparing to install a Russian crane on the International Space Station.

Jernigan, Barry Conduct Spacewalk
STS-96 Astronauts Tamara Jernigan and Daniel Barry conducted a 7-hour and 55-minute spacewalk in support of International Space Station assembly. Their tasks included installing foot restraints, handrails and tool bags for use by future spacewalkers on the station. They also installed two cranes and an insulating cover, and then inspected an early communications system on the Unity Module.

On May 29, 1999, at 9:56 p.m. CDT (0256 GMT), Jernigan and Barry began their spacewalk, which was the 45th spacewalk in shuttle program history. They finished their EVA the following day at 5:51 a.m. CDT (1051 GMT), completing the fourth spacewalk dedicated to the assembly of the space station.