STS-76: Starting a Continuous U.S. Presence

STS-76

Space Shuttle Atlantis

Launched:
March 22, 1996, 3:13 a.m. EST
Kennedy Space Center, Pad 39-B

Orbit:
160 nautical miles

Inclination:
51.6 degrees

Landed:
March 31, 1996, 8:28:57 a.m. EST Edwards Air Force Base

Mission:
9 days, 5 hours, 16 minutes

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STS-76
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STS-76 Crew

Commander Kevin P. Chilton
Third Shuttle flight

Pilot Richard A. Searfoss
Second Shuttle flight

Mission Specialist Linda M. Godwin, Ph.D.
Third Shuttle flight

Mission Specialist Michael R. Clifford
Third Shuttle flight

Mission Specialist Ronald M. Sega, Ph.D.
Second Shuttle flight

Mission Specialist Shannon W. Lucid, Ph.D.
Third Shuttle flight; remaining on Mir

STS-76 Crew Biographies

Read the Shuttle-Mir Oral Histories (PDF)

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Payload

Space Habitation Module
Shuttle Shortwave Amateur Radio Experiment
Mir Environmental Effects Payload
Trapped Ions in Space Experiment
Mir Wireless Network Experiment
KidSat Educational Activity

Read more about Shuttle-Mir Science

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Mission: March 22 - 31, 1996

When STS-76 took Shannon Lucid up to Mir, the U.S. began a continuous presence in orbit that would last for more than two years. The mission also marked the first U.S. spacewalk around the two mated spacecraft, and the first time the SPACEHAB pressurized module was used to carry supplies and equipment to and from Mir.

After a days delay because of a high wind forecast, Atlantis launched in the cold predawn morning, with light from the engines reflecting off the clouds. During ascent, a sensor detected a leak in one of Atlantis hydraulic systems, but NASA determined it was not a danger to the Orbiter. Over the next two days, the Russian flight controllers were satisfied that Mir was not at risk, and they gave their go-ahead to continue the joint mission. On Flight Day 2, rendezvous and docking came with future Mir resident David Wolf serving as CAPCOM in Houston and cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev sitting next to him. Onboard Atlantis, Rick Searfoss took the Commanders seat, and Kevin Chilton controlled the Orbiter from the aft flight deck windows. Former NASA Director of Russian Operations Ron Sega handled computations on the laptop computer. As the two spacecraft closed, the Sun set and Mir turned a rosy color. Then, Mirs rusty-hued docking module inched down toward the Shuttles docking system. After "capture," a slight glitch with the fasteners caused the two spacecraft to sway slightly, effectively demonstrating the robustness of the docking system.

Shannon Lucid linked up with her Mir crew, and everyone began transferring equipment and supplies. The U.S. astronauts discovered that Mir was, in different ways, both large and small. Searfoss observed that, at first, it was possible to get disoriented in Mirs transfer node, and that moving around in Mir is kind of like being a spelunker. Ron Sega later noted the tightness of some passageways: "After hearing of the experiences of the two previous [STS] shuttle crews that had been on Mir . . . we had a pretty good idea of what the Mir would be like. Some of the tools were placed in more tenuous situations . . . so you were cautioned, correctly, by the cosmonauts to be careful . . . not to dislodge pliers and screwdrivers and . . . things that were tacked along the sides." During five days of docked operations, approximately 1,500 pounds of water and two tons of scientific equipment, logistical material, and resupply items were transferred to Mir while experiment samples and miscellaneous equipment were brought over to Atlantis.

On Flight Day 6, NASA Mission Specialists Linda M. Godwin and Michael "Rich" Clifford conducted the first U.S. extravehicular activity around the two mated spacecraft. This was also the first time since Skylab22 years beforethat U.S. astronauts had spacewalked outside a space station. According to Godwin, the Russians were understandably concerned about the two Americans getting too close to solar arrays and other fragile equipment, but it was a thrilling experience for the spacewalkers and for those watching them. During their six-hour extravehicular activity, Godwin and Clifford attached four Mir Environmental Effects Payload experiments to Mirs docking module.

Flight controllers shortened STS-76 by one day due to weather concerns at Kennedy Space Center. After leaving Lucid on Mir and undocking, Atlantis performed a fly-around about which Searfoss later commented: "The whole station is chameleon-like with different orbital lighting conditions and Sun angles. . . . I was enthralled by the constantly changing and indescribably beautiful hues of white, tan, gold, and blue."

Commander Chilton landed Atlantis at Edwards Air Force Base in California and, for the first time, a Space Shuttle had returned with fewer astronauts than it had launched with.

Read more about the STS-76 mission and crew.

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MEEP - Mir Environmental Effects Payload

Mission Specialists Godwin and Clifford attached the Mir Environmental Effects Payload (MEEP) to the Shuttle-Mir docking module during an STS-76 extravehicular activity. (During an STS-86 spacewalk, MEEP would be retrieved by NASA Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski and Cosmonaut Vladimir Titov.)

MEEP studied the frequency and effects of both human-made and natural space debris striking Mir, capturing some debris for later study. This payload also exposed International Space Station materials to the effects of space and orbital debris.

MEEP consisted of four separate experiments. The Polished Plate Micrometeoroid and Debris Experiment studied how often space debris hit the station, the sizes and sources of the debris, and the damage the debris might do on hitting a space station. The Orbital Debris Collector Experiment captured orbital debris for return to Earth to determine the possible origins and components of that debris. The Passive Optical Sample Assembly I and II Experiments tested various materials intended for use on the International Space Station including paint samples, glass coatings, multilayer insulation, and a variety of metallic samples.

The four MEEP experiments were contained in four passive experiment carriers. Each carrier consisted of a sidewall attachment to the Orbiters payload bay, a handrail clamp for attachment to Mirs docking module, and an experiment container to house individual experiments.

Read more about the MEEP experiments.

Next Chapter - NASA-2 Shannon Lucid: Enduring Qualities!