The Space Station as seen by
the shuttle crew as it
departs.

Mission STS-106 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on September 8, 2000 at 7:46 a.m. (EDT). The Atlantis shuttle docked at the Station two days later in order to transfer the supply material. It was the fourth shuttle flight dedicated to the assembly of the Station. The astronauts were responsible for transferring material from the SPACEHAB logistics module to the Station. The Station remained unmanned after the shuttle departed on September 17, 2000.

During the mission, the crew prepared the Station for the arrival of the Expedition One crew in November. The five astronauts as well as the two cosmonauts carried out a spacewalk in order to connect power, data transfer and communication cables to the new Zvezda service compartment and to the Station. The crew also delivered over 2,993 kilograms (6,600 pounds) of equipment and installed batteries, power converters, a toilet and a conveyor belt on the Station.