Space Shuttle Discovery returned Expedition 1 to Earth on STS-102.
STS-102 launched in March 2001 and served as both an ISS resupply mission and the station’s first crew-rotation flight. Discovery carried the incoming Expedition 2 crew to orbit, then brought William Shepherd, Yuri Gidzenko, and Sergei Krikalev—the members of Expedition 1—back to Earth after their pioneering stay aboard the station.
The mission used the Italian-built Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module to deliver equipment and supplies. Discovery docked with the ISS, enabling the outgoing and incoming crews to transfer responsibilities before the Expedition 1 astronauts descended in the shuttle. The flight landed at Kennedy Space Center later that month.
A common mistake is associating the return with the spacecraft that launched Expedition 1. Soyuz TM-31 carried that first resident crew into orbit, but Discovery performed the later shuttle-based rotation and return. STS-102 was also notable for two spacewalks, including one lasting nearly nine hours, as astronauts worked on station hardware and equipment.