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Shuttle, Mir Dock Once Again
The space shuttle Atlantis successfully docked with the Russian space station Mir for the seventh time in less than two and a half years September 27, in a mission mired in controversy regarding the safety of the aging space station.
![[image of Foale and Weatherbee]](../9710/images2/foale.jpg)
Atlantis docked with Mir just before 4pm EDT (2000 UT) September 27. There were no problems reported with the docking, despite concerns over Mir's balky computer system. The hatches between the two spacecraft opened two hours later, letting the two crews meet one another.
The highlight of the docking mission, designated STS-86, was the exchange of Mir crew members, as David Wolf took Michael Foale's place on Mir after a tumultuous four-month stay on Mir for Foale. Foale will return to Earth on Atlantis.
The exchange was in doubt until a little more than twelve hours before the September 25 launch of Atlantis, when NASA Administrator Dan Goldin cleared the launch despite concerns raised by members of Congress and some space analysts about the safety of the Mir. [See following article for more coverage of this.]
In addition to Wolf, the shuttle brought about 2250 kg (5,000 lbs.) of food, water, and equipment to Mir. Included in the supplies is a new computer to replace the one on Mir that has failed several times since July.
On Wednesday shuttle astronauts Vladimir Titov and Scott Parazynski will conduct a five-hour spacewalk outside Mir. They will retrieve an experiment package mounted to Mir 18 months ago to measure the cosmic radiation environment around the station.
Titov and Parazynski will also attach equipment outside Mir to be used in future repairs of the space station. Included is a "solar cap" that would be used to seal off the base of the damaged solar panel on the Spektr module, should it be removed in future repairs.
The seven-person shuttle crew, commanded by James Weatherbee, has an experienced international crew. Besides Titov, a Russian cosmonaut who was the first to spend a consecutive year in space, the Atlantis crew includes French astronaut Jean-Loup Chretien. Chretien was the first Frenchman in space and has stayed on Mir and its predecessor, Salyut 7.
The shuttle crew also includes two Americans who were "rejects" from the Shuttle-Mir program. Parazynski was removed from planning for Mir missions in 1995 when Russian officials announced the 190-cm (6'3") astronaut was too tall to safely fit in the Soyuz spacecraft that would be used for any emergency evacuation of Mir.
Wendy Lawrence was removed from the Mir program at the same time because the 160-cm (5'3") astronaut was deemed too short. She was later restored to the program and had been scheduled to replace Foale on Mir, but was bumped in favor of Wolf because she is too short to fit in the Russian Orlan EVA suit. NASA wanted an astronaut on Mir who could assist in any EVAs to repair the station.
Atlantis is scheduled to land at the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, October 5, at approximately 7pm EDT (2300 UT).