May 15 1997
From The Space Library
Space Shuttle Atlantis took off at dawn from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying a crew of seven. Mission STS-84 was the fourth mission of 1997 and the sixth of nine planned missions to the Mir space station. Atlantis carried astronaut C. Michael Foale, who was to replace Jerry M. Linenger as the United States' long-term resident aboard Mir. Charles J. Precourt served as Commander of Mission STS-84 and Eileen M. Collins as Pilot for the Shuttle. In addition, the crew included U.S. astronauts Carlos I. Noriega and Edward T. Lu and Mission Specialists Elena V. Kondakova of the Russian Space Agency and Jean-Francois Clervoy of the European Space Agency (ESA). Kondakova was the first Russian woman to fly aboard a NASA Space Shuttle. With the recent problems aboard Mir, many viewed the mission with special urgency. Concerned about the numerous breakdowns and the fire aboard the Russian space station, NASA even considered refusing to allow Foale to take his place aboard Mir. The Shuttle carried to Mir a new oxygen generator, which astronauts planned to unload almost immediately upon docking. Atlantis took into space more than 7,000 pounds (3,200 kilograms) of cargo for Mir and its crew.
European astronomers unveiled a new, more accurate map of the stars. Scientists immediately praised the 17-volume celestial guide as a milestone in astronomy. The ESA's Hipparcos project had produced the map over 17 years, at a cost approaching US$1 billion. Astronomers called the release of the Hipparcos data the beginning of a new and fruitful debate. Hipparcos Project Scientist Michael Perryman said, "It's a massive leap forward in our understanding. But the science of Hipparcos doesn't stop here. For the scientific community it is just beginning." In total, the map indicated the positions and motions of more than 118,000 stars.
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