16 September 1996 08:54 GMT. Landing Date: 1997-01-22 14:22:00. Flight Time: 128.23 days. Alternate Name: STS-79 (Blaha). Flight Up: STS-79. Flight Back: STS-81. Call Sign: Atlantis. Crew: Blaha. Backup Crew: Linenger. Program: Mir. On September 19 STS-79 Atlantis docked with the Russian Mir space station. Aboard Atlantis in the payload bay were the Orbiter Docking System, the modified Long Tunnel, and the Spacehab Double Module, containing supplies for the Mir. Astronaut John Blaha relieved Shannon Lucid as NASA resident on the complex. Atlantis undocked from the Mir complex with Lucid aboard on September 23 at 23:33 GMT. Valeriy Korzun, Aleksandr Kaleri and John Blaha remained on Mir.
STS-81 Atlantis docked with Mir at 03:55 GMT on January 14, 1997. STS-81 transferred 2,715 kg of equipment to and from the Mir, the largest transfer of items to that date. During the docked phase, 640 kg of water, 515 kg of U.S. science equipment, 1,000 kg of Russian logistics, and 120 kg of miscellaneous material were transferred to Mir. Returned to Earth aboard Atlantis were 570 kg of U.S. science material, 405 kg of Russian logistics and 98 kg of miscellaneous material. At 02:16 GMT January 19, Atlantis separated from Mir after picking up John Blaha, who had arrived aboard STS-79 on September 19, 1996, and dropping off Jerry Linenger, who was to stay aboard Mir for over four months. The Shuttle backed off along the -RBAR (i.e. toward the Earth) to a distance of 140 m before beginning a flyaround at 02:31 GMT. Most of the flyaround was at a distance from Mir of 170 m. The first 'orbit' around Mir was complete at 03:15, and the second was completed at 04:02 GMT. Then the Orbiter fired its jets to drift away from the orbit of Mir. NASA's first Shuttle mission of 1997 came to a close with a landing at the Kennedy Space Center at 14:22 GMT on January 22 (after the first opportunity was waved off due to cloud cover at the Cape).
Mir NASA-2 Chronology - 1996 Sep 16 - STS-79 Crew: Blaha, Readdy, Wilcutt, Akers, Apt, Walz. Spacecraft: Atlantis. Payload: Atlantis F17 / External Airlock/ODS. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. Duration: 10.14 days. Perigee: 368 km (228 mi). Apogee: 386 km (239 mi). Inclination: 51.70 deg. Period: 92.10 min.
On September 19 Atlantis docked with the Russian Mir space station. Aboard Atlantis in the payload bay were the Orbiter Docking System, the modified Long Tunnel, and the Spacehab Double Module, containing supplies for the Mir. Astronaut John Blaha relieved Shannon Lucid as NASA resident on the complex. Atlantis undocked from the Mir complex on September 23 at 23:33 GMT. Valeriy Korzun, Aleksandr Kaleri and John Blaha remain on Mir. On September 26 Atlantis closed its payload bay doors, and at 11:06 GMT fired its OMS engines for a three minute long deorbit burn. After entry interface at 11:42 GMT the spaceship flew across Canada and the US for a landing at the Kennedy Space Center's Runway 15 at 12:13 GMT.
- 1996 Sep 26 - Landing of STS-79
STS-79 landed at 12:13 GMT with the crew of Lucid, Readdy, Wilcutt, Akers, Apt and Walz aboard.
- 1997 Jan 12 - STS-81 Crew: Baker Mike, Jett, Wisoff, Grunsfeld, Ivins, Linenger. Spacecraft: Atlantis. Payload: Atlantis F18 / Spacehab Double Module. Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. Duration: 10.20 days. Perigee: 343 km (213 mi). Apogee: 380 km (230 mi). Inclination: 51.70 deg. Period: 91.80 min.
After a night launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis, the Shuttle docked with Mir at 03:55 GMT on January 14. STS-81 transferred 2,715 kg of equipment to and from the Mir, the largest transfer of items to that date. During the docked phase, 640 kg of water, 515 kg of U.S. science equipment, 1,000 kg of Russian logistics, and 120 kg of miscellaneous material were transferred to Mir. Returned to Earth aboard Atlantis were 570 kg of U.S. science material, 405 kg of Russian logistics and 98 kg of miscellaneous material. At 02:16 GMT January 19, Atlantis separated from Mir after picking up John Blaha, who had arrived aboard STS-79 on September 19, 1996, and dropping off Jerry Linenger, who was to stay aboard Mir for over four months. The Shuttle backed off along the -RBAR (i.e. toward the Earth) to a distance of 140 m before beginning a flyaround at 02:31 GMT. Most of the flyaround was at a distance from Mir of 170 m. The first 'orbit' around Mir was complete at 03:15, and the second was completed at 04:02 GMT. Then the Orbiter fired its jets to drift away from the orbit of Mir. NASA's first Shuttle mission of 1997 came to a close with a landing at the Kennedy Space Center at 14:22 GMT on January 22 (after the first opportunity was waved off due to cloud cover at the Cape).
- 1997 Jan 22 - Landing of STS-81
STS-81 landed at 14:22 GMT with the crew of Baker Mike, Jett, Wisoff, Grunsfeld, Ivins and Blaha aboard.
Bibliography and Further Reading - McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Report (Internet Newsletter), Harvard University, Weekly, 1989 to Present. Essential internet newsletter recording worldwide weekly space events. Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.
- NASA GSFC Orbital Parameters, .
- Agapov, V, Novosti kosmonavtiki, "Tablitsa zapuskov transportnikh gruzovikh korabley tipa 'Progress' i 'Progress M'", 1998, Issue 7, page 46.
- Wilson, Keith T., Spaceflight, "EVA Log 1965-1997", 1998, Volume 40, page 85.
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