STS-76 Day 3 Highlights

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On Sunday, March 24, 1996, 1 a.m. CST, STS-76 MCC Status Report # 4 reports:

Following a flawless rendezvous, Atlantis successfully docked to the Russian Mir space station as Commander Kevin Chilton gently guided Atlantis to a linkup at 8:34 PM Central time Saturday night.

A little less than two hours later, Mission Specialist Rich Clifford completed safing and pressurizing Atlantis' docking vestibule and the hatches were opened between the two spacecraft as Atlantis' crew was greeted by Mir 21 Commander Yuri Onufrienko and Flight Engineer Yuri Usachev. Shortly after the hatch opening and initial greetings, the shuttle crew moved into the Mir and astronaut Shannon Lucid officially became the third member of the Mir-21 crew, embarking on a 4 1/2 month stay in space to inaugurate a permanent U.S. presence in space on Mir for the next two years. Lucid will be replaced by astronaut John Blaha in August. Onufrienko and Usachev were launched on a Soyuz rocket to the Mir on February 21st. They'll return to Earth in July after a replacement crew of Russian cosmonauts and a French researcher joins Lucid aboard the Mir.

As is traditional, the crews exchanged gifts during a short welcoming ceremony in the Mir Core module, with the Mir crew giving Atlantis' astronauts a variety of placards and memorabilia. Atlantis' crew gave the cosmonauts commemorative shirts, chocolate Easter bunnies and two books, including autographed copies of Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell's "Lost Moon," on which the movie "Apollo 13" was based. Chilton described the rendezvous, docking and initial moments on the Mir as "unreal."

Following safety briefings for both crews on each other's respective spacecraft, the astronauts and cosmonauts began transferring more than a ton of water, Russian supplies, science equipment and other gear from the shuttle to Mir. The transfer of equipment will continue through much of the five days Atlantis is docked with the Mir.

Early Wednesday morning, while Atlantis is still docked to the Mir, Clifford and Mission Specialist Linda Godwin will perform a six-hour spacewalk outside Atlantis to affix four experiment packages to the exterior of the Mir docking module.

The 230-ton Atlantis-Mir complex is orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of about 240 statute miles with all systems on both craft operating normally.

On Sunday, March 24, 1996, 11 a.m. CST, STS-76 MCC Status Report # 5 reports:

A long-term, continuous U.S. presence on Russia's Mir space station was inaugurated early Sunday with the transfer of astronaut Shannon Lucid to the Mir 21 crew. The two spacecraft linked up in orbit at 8:34 p.m. CST Saturday for five days of joint operations.

Lucid is embarking on a 4 1/2 month stay in space, joining Mir 21 Commander Yuri Onufrienko and Flight Engineer Yuri Usachev. Lucid is the second U.S. astronaut to make an extended visit to Mir as part of Phase 1 of the International Space Station Program.

The point of her transfer to the Mir crew occurred when the seat liner she would use in the event of a return to Earth in the Soyuz capsule was moved to the Mir. Official assignment of Lucid to the Mir 21 crew came at 7:30 a.m. central time today after Flight Director Bill Reeves in Houston and Nikolai Nikiforov in Mission Control, Moscow, gave a joint 'go' statement.

The astronauts and cosmonauts have begun transferring more than a ton of water, Russian supplies, science equipment and other gear from the shuttle to Mir. The transfer of equipment will continue through much of the five days Atlantis is docked with the Mir.

The crew is now asleep, having begun a 10-hour sleep period at 8:43 a.m. central time today. Astronauts will wake at 6:43 p.m. to begin Flight Day 4.

Early Wednesday morning, while Atlantis is still docked to the Mir, astronauts Rich Clifford and Linda Godwin will perform a six-hour spacewalk outside Atlantis to attach four experiment packages to the exterior of the Mir docking module.

The Shuttle and its now five person crew is expected to return to Earth March 31 with a 6:03 a.m. CST landing at Kennedy Space Center. Florida.

The 230-ton Atlantis-Mir complex is orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes at an altitude of about 240 statute miles with systems on both craft operating normally.

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