Jun 27 1995
From The Space Library
The launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis (mission STS-71) and the first docking mission with Russian Space Station Mir occurred almost 20 years after the Apollo-Soyuz linkup in July 1975. The joined spacecraft had a record mass of about 200 tons and held a record 10 people-6 Americans and 4 Russians (8 men and 2 women). After five days of joint operations 245 miles above Earth, during which Mir's current crew underwent extensive medical testing in a shuttle cargo bay laboratory, the Mir-18 crew returned with Atlantis, having been replaced by two Russian cosmonauts.
American astronaut Dr. Norm Thagard, 52, who was aboard Mir since March 16th, also returned home with the American record for a single space flight after more than 115 days in space. (A Russian doctor holds the current world record-439 days.) In contrast to the cosmonaut crew, Norm elected to walk off of the Shuttle after returning to Earth. Atlantis landed at Kennedy Space Center on July 7. Six more trips by Atlantis to Mir are planned over the next few years. (NASA Releases 95-59 & 95; NY Times, Jun 29/95; Jun 30/95, Jul 1/95, Jul 4/95; Jul 5/95, Jul 8/95 & Jul 11/95; W Post, Jun 28/95, Jun 29/95, Jun, 30/95, Jul 1/95, Jul 2/95, Jul 3/95, Jul 5/95 & Jul 8/95; USA Today, Jun 28/95, Jun 29/95, Jun 30/95, Jul 3/95 & Jul 5/95; Fla Today, Jun 28/95, Jun 29/95, Jul 1/95, Jul 2/95, Jul 3/95, Jul 4/95, Jul 5/95, Jul 7/95 & Jul 8/95; AP, Jun 27/95, Jul 6/95 & Jul 8/95; Reuters, Jun 27/95, Jul 1/95 & Jul 2/95; UPI, Jun 27/95; AP, Jul 2/95; Newsweek, Jul 10/95; AV Wk, Jul 3/95)
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