'I was there': Living on the International Space Station, 2000

5 live Daily looks back at an historic moment through the eyes of those who were there.

Two days later Bill Shepherd, Sergei Krikalev and Yuri Gidzenko docked on the International Space Station two days later, becoming its very first residents. So began nearly 15 years of continuous occupation in Space.

The programme is a joint project between the US, Russia, Canada, Europe and Japan and cost $60bn. More than 200 people have since visited from more than 15 countries. There have been more than 150 spacewalks. Astronauts spend their time conducting experiments on biology, human biology, physics, astronomy and meteorology.

The Space Station is the largest artificial body in orbit and can be seen by the naked eye from earth.

He's been to the International Space Station three times and has worked for NASA for more than 20 years.

When you come in to dock, you can't take it in in just one glance. It's a massive structure, absolutely beautiful."

He told Peter Allen on 5 live: "The first time I visited, I was amazed at how big it is. It's 500 tonnes, the size of a soccer pitch, it's got these huge solar rays.

It never stops being fun. For the first couple of days it's a little disorienting because you keep losing stuff because it keeps floating away. But you very quickly adapt to the environment."

Piers Sellers, spacewalk outside the International Space Centre

He's never been to space but has worked towards ensuring safety and reliability for the missions and continuity of the Space Station.

Seventy five years ago, if you look at the countries that are partners in the Space Station, what were we doing? Well, we weren't on the best terms. We're about to celebrate 15 years of continuous presence in space with these countries cooperating peacefully. That's an incredible example of what humanity can accomplish with a common goal."

He says: "Up there, you can see 95% of the population of the Earth in 90 minutes. It's kind of neat."

His company Space Adventures facilitate missions for people who aren't astronauts, it's not cheap though, costing as much as $50m for just one trip.

The only two things that were not as good in Space as they are on Earth is the food and the toilet facilities. They're a little bit of a challenge."
Richard Garriott

He says looking back at the earth is an incredibly powerful experience: "It's really a life changing period of time to see the Earth from Space. Not only is it beautiful, but it's much more than that, you can see the impact of humanity itself."