Astronauts have begun training for the STS-108/Utilization Flight-1 mission to rotate International Space Station crews and to deliver experiments and scientific racks for the station's U.S. Laboratory, Destiny.

The international space station as it is expected to look for the STS-108 mission. Photo: NASA

Dominic L. Gorie (Capt., USN) will command Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-108, scheduled for launch late in 2001. The pilot is Mark E. Kelly (Lt. Cmdr., USN). Mission Specialists Linda M. Godwin and Daniel M. Tani round out the dedicated-Shuttle crew.

With them aboard Endeavour on its flight will be the Expedition Four crew, commanded by cosmonaut Yuri Onufrienko, a Russian Air Force colonel. Two astronauts, Daniel W. Bursch (Capt., USN) and Carl E. Walz (Col., USAF), complete the Expedition Four crew. They will replace the Expedition Three crew, commander Frank Culbertson and cosmonauts Vladimir N. Dezhurov, a Russian Air Force lieutenant colonel, and Mikhail Turin, who will return to Earth on Endeavour.

Gorie will be making his third trip to space. He served as pilot on both STS-91 in 1998 and STS-99 in 2000. Kelly, selected as an astronaut candidate in 1996 and making his first space flight, has held technical positions in the Astronaut Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, since completing his initial training.

Godwin has served as the deputy chief of the Astronaut Office in addition to flying on three previous shuttle missions, STS-37 in 1991, STS-59 in 1994, and STS-76 in 1996. During the 1996 mission she performed a six-hour space walk at the Mir space station. Tani, another space rookie, was selected as an astronaut in 1996 and has been assigned various technical duties including support to the extravehicular activity (space walk) function in the Astronaut Office.

All members of the Expedition Four crew have previously flown in space. Onufrienko served as commander on Mir-21 in 1996. Walz flew on STS-51 in 1993, STS-65 in 1994 and STS-79 in 1996. Bursch flew aboard STS-51 in 1993, STS-68 in 1994, and STS-77 in 1996.

A complete list of all astronauts and their biographical data can be found on the Internet at: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/