Astronaut and ISS supplies. Astronaut Scott Altman moving a battery through the access tunnel between the Space Shuttle Atlantis and the International Space Station (ISS). Altman was one of the pilots for Atlantis during this mission (STS-106, 8-20 September 2000). A 7-man crew unloaded supplies from both Atlantis and an unmanned Progress supply ship during the 12-day mission. This prepared the way for the arrival of the first ISS crew in late October 2000. The ISS is a joint effort between NASA, the European Space Agency, the Russian space agency, Canada, Japan and Brazil. It orbits at an altitude of 350 kilometres and is scheduled for completion in 2004.