In addition, engineers are looking into ways to put attachments on the shuttle to allow astronauts on spacewalks to hold on to the vehicle for inspections and possible orbital repairs.

NASA has since changed the rules and will not allow married astronauts on the same flight.

Another feature incorporated into the ISS suits included an additional battery to power heaters built into the glove, allowing astronauts to keep their hands warm during nighttime passages on each 95-minute orbit.

He lost up to 11.7 percent of his bone mineral and 17.5 pounds of overall muscle and weight, but he says that the accumulating lessons from recent flights will allow future astronauts to fare much better.

During that flight, he was one of the first operators of the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment, or Sarex, which allowed astronauts to talk with ham radio operators around the world.

The spacecraft is an unmanned resupply spacecraft during its flight but upon docking with a space station, it allows astronauts inside, hence it is classified manned by the manufacturer.

The Discovery flight delivered more than 4,300 pounds of equipment and water for future crews, and allowed astronauts to repair equipment.

Three manned missions were flown to Skylab in 1973 and 1974, allowing astronauts to live and work in the small space station for a total of 171 days.

The $7 million device, making its orbital debut, was developed to allow astronauts who are adrift to save themselves when no rescue craft are available.

Mr. Goldin noted in the interview that the orbit would also allow stranded American astronauts to be rescued by Moscow.