The Expedition 3 crew launched on August 10 , 2001 aboard STS-105 '' Discovery '' and docked with the International Space Station on August 12 , 2001 . Culbertson lived and worked aboard the station for a total of 129 days , and was in command of the station for 117 days . He was the only American not to be on Earth during the September 11 attacks . As the ISS passed over the New York City area after the attacks , Culbertson took photographs of the smoke emanating from Ground Zero in lower Manhattan . He later learned that the plane that struck the Pentagon had been piloted ( at takeoff ) by his Naval Academy classmate Charles Burlingame . The Expedition 3 crew left the station on December 15 aboard STS-108 '' Endeavour '' , landing at Kennedy Space Center , Florida , on December 17 , 2001
the plane
American Airlines Flight 77
Frank L. Culbertson Jr.