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List of commanders of the International Space Station

This is a chronological list of commanders of the International Space Station. A pre-decided inhabitant of the ISS assumes command upon departure of the previous commander, at the end of an expedition, in a small hand-over ceremony. Their responsibility is defined by the ISS Code of Conduct, which states that the ISS commander has some authority over the operations of the ISS, but should ultimately defer most decisions to the Flight Director.

The commander keeps a symbolic key of the station with them during their tenure, that is, a copy of the handle opening the hatches to the Russian segment. It is passed on to a new astronaut when they replace the existing commander as the new station commander.

Responsibilities

  • Conduct operations in or on the ISS as directed by the Flight Director and in accordance with the Flight Rules, plans and procedures
  • Direct the activities of the ISS crewmembers as a single, integrated team to ensure the successful completion of the mission
  • Fully and accurately inform the Flight Director, in a timely manner, of the ISS vehicle configuration, status, commanding, and other operational activities on-board (including off-nominal or emergency situations)
  • Enforce procedures for the physical and information security of operations and utilization data
  • Maintain order
  • Ensure crew safety, health and well-being including crew rescue and return
  • Take all reasonable action necessary for the protection of the ISS elements, equipment, or payloads

Ceremony

A ceremony occurs at each change of command, similar to rituals in various military services. The new and old commanders together ring a bell. The first occurred when Yury V. Usachev of Expedition 2 replaced Expedition 1 commander William M. Shepherd.

List

Statistics

A Russian national has commanded the station 31 times. A US national has commanded the station 28 times. A Japanese national has commanded the station thrice. Italian nationals have commanded the station twice. Belgian, British, Canadian, Danish, German, and French nationals have commanded the station once each.

Gennady Padalka has commanded the station on four separate occasions, more than any other inhabitant.

Fyodor Yurchikhin and Oleg Kononenko have commanded the station thrice. Scott Kelly, Oleg Kotov, Anton Shkaplerov, Pavel Vinogradov, Peggy Whitson, Jeffrey Williams, Sunita Williams, Aleksey Ovchinin, Sergey Ryzhikov, and Michael Fincke have commanded the station twice each.

See also

References

Footnotes