1996: Space Shuttle Flight 76 (STS-76) Atlantis/Mir (NASA/RSA)

STS-76 was a Space Shuttle Atlantis mission to the Mir space station. It was the 76th shuttle mission, and the 16th flight for Atlantis.

The third linkup between U.S. Space Shuttle and Russian Space Station Mir highlighted by transfer of veteran astronaut Shannon Lucid to Mir to become first American woman to live on station. Her approximately four-and-a-half month stay also eclipsed long-duration U.S. spaceflight record set by first American to live on Mir, Norm Thagard. Lucid was succeeded by astronaut John Blaha during STS-79 in August, giving her distinction of membership in four different flight crews -- two U.S. and two Russian -- and her stay on Mir kicked off continuous U.S. presence in space for next two years.

Payload bay configuration included Orbiter Docking System in forward area and SPACEHAB single module toward the aft. STS-76 marked the first flight of SPACEHAB pressurized module to support Shuttle-Mir dockings; single module primarily served as stowage area for large supply of equipment slated for transfer to space station, but also carried European Space Agencys Biorack experiment rack for on-orbit research.

Atlantis hooked up with Mir on flight day three, following same R-bar approach employed on STS-74. Actual connection between Orbiter Docking System and Docking Module attached to Kristall module docking port occurred at 9:34 p.m. EST, March 24. Hatches opened a little less than two hours later. Awaiting Atlantis arrival were Mir 21 Commander Yuri Onufrienko and Flight Engineer Yuri Usachev, who were launched to Mir on Feb. 21. In July, they will be joined by Mir 22 Commander Gennady Manakov, Flight Engineer Pavel Vinogradov and French Space Agency cosmonaut researcher Claudie Andre-Deshays. After two-week stay Andre-Deshays returned to Earth with Onufrienko and Usachev while Manakov and Vinogradov remained on board with Lucid.

During five days of docked operations, about 680 kilograms of water and two tons of scientific equipment, logistical material and resupply items were transferred to Mir; experiment samples and miscellaneous equipment brought over to the orbiter. In Biorack, 11 separate scientific investigations were conducted. Study topics included effect of microgravity and cosmic radiation on plants, tissues, cells, bacteria and insects and effects of microgravity on bone loss. Also transferred to station were Mir Glovebox Stowage (MGBX) equipment to replenish the glovebox already there; Queens University Experiment in Liquid Diffusion (QUELD) flown in orbiter middeck locker; and High Temperature Liquid Phase Sintering (LPS) experiment.

On flight day six, Godwin and Clifford conducted the first U.S. EVA around two mated spacecraft. During the six-hour, two-minute, 28-second EVA, they attached four Mir Environmental Effects Payload (MEEP) experiments to the stations Docking Module. Experiments designed to characterize the environment around Mir over an 18-month period. Godwin and Clifford wore Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER) propulsive devices first flight-tested during STS-64.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• iaf
• 1996
• space
• shuttle
• atlantis
• nasa
• mir