After arriving aboard Atlantis, Clayton Anderson became a flight engineer with Expedition 15 once across the station’s docking hatch, and began living and working aboard the International Space Station.

Serving as both a Medical Officer and Science Officer, Anderson was the sole American in space for much of his Expedition. His responsibilities included conducting scientific research, maintaining station systems, supporting assembly operations, and operating Canadarm2, the station’s robotic arm.

Anderson also participated in 3 spacewalks outside the station (one with Fyodor Yurchikin of Expedition 15, and two with STS-118 crewmembers Rick Mastracchio and Canadian David Williams) when Endeavor docked in August of 2007.  He later became part of the Soyuz TMA-10 crew when the station crew relocated the Soyuz spacecraft to another docking port in preparation for future station operations.

Expedition 15 accounted for the majority of Anderson’s five-month stay in orbit and gave him the experience of not simply visiting space but making the International Space Station his temporary home.