STS-76

Infobox Space mission
mission_name = STS-76
insignia = Sts-76-patch.png shuttle = Atlantis
launch_pad = 39-B
launch = March 22, 1996, 3:13:04 a.m. EST
landing = March 31, 1996, 8:28:57 a.m. EST
duration = 9 days, 5 hours, 16 minutes, 48 seconds
altitude = 160 nautical miles (296 km)
inclination = 51.6 degrees
orbits = 145
distance = 3.8 million miles (6.1 million km) estimated
crew_photo = STS-76 crew.jpg
crew_caption =
previous = STS-75
next = STS-77

STS-76 was a Space Shuttle "Atlantis" mission to the Mir space station. It was the 76th shuttle mission, and the 16th flight for "Atlantis". It was the 3rd shuttle mission to dock with "Mir".

Crew

*Kevin P. Chilton (3), Commander
*Richard A. Searfoss (2), Pilot
*Ronald M. Sega (2), Mission Specialist 1
*Michael R. Clifford (3), Mission Specialist 2
*Linda M. Godwin (3), Mission Specialist 3

Launched and stayed on Mir

*Shannon W. Lucid (5), Mission Specialist 4

Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.

Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.

Mission parameters

*Mass:
**"Orbiter Liftoff:" 111,740 kg
**"Orbiter Landing:" 95,396 kg
**"Payload:" 6,753 kg
*Perigee: 389 km
*Apogee: 411 km
*Inclination: 51.6°
*Period: 92.5 min

3rd Mir docking mission

*Docked: March 24, 1996, 02:34:05 UTC
*Undocked: March 29, 1996, 01:08:03 UTC
*Time Docked: 4 days, 22 h, 33 min, 58 s

pace walks

*" Godwin and Clifford " - EVA 1
*EVA 1 Start: March 27, 1996 - 06:34 UTC
*EVA 1 End: March 27, - 12:36 UTC
*Duration: 6 hours, 02 minutes

Mission highlights

Third linkup between U.S. Space Shuttle and Russian Space Station Mir highlighted by transfer of veteran astronaut Shannon Lucid to Mir to become first American woman to live on station. Her approximately four-and-a-half month stay also eclipsed long-duration U.S. spaceflight record set by first American to live on Mir, Norm Thagard. Lucid was succeeded by astronaut John Blaha during STS-79 in August, giving her distinction of membership in four different flight crews -- two U.S. and two Russian -- and her stay on Mir kicked off continuous U.S. presence in space for next two years.

Payload bay configuration included Orbiter Docking System in forward area and SPACEHAB single module toward the aft. STS-76 marked first flight of SPACEHAB pressurized module to support Shuttle-Mir dockings; single module primarily served as stowage area for large supply of equipment slated for transfer to space station, but also carried European Space Agency’s Biorack experiment rack for on-orbit research.

Atlantis hooked up with Mir on flight day three, following same R-bar approach employed on STS-74. Actual connection between Orbiter Docking System and Docking Module attached to Kristall module docking port occurred at 9:34 p.m. EST, March 24. Hatches opened a little less than two hours later. Awaiting Atlantis’ arrival were Mir 21 Commander Yuri Onufrienko and Flight Engineer Yuri Usachev, who were launched to Mir on Feb. 21. In July, they will be joined by Mir 22 Commander Gennady Manakov, Flight Engineer Pavel Vinogradov and French Space Agency cosmonaut researcher Claudie Andre-Deshays. After two-week stay Andre-Deshays will return to Earth with Onufrienko and Usachev while Manakov and Vinogradov remain on board with Lucid.

During five days of docked operations, about 1,500 pounds (680 kilograms) of water and two tons of scientific equipment, logistical material and resupply items transferred to Mir; experiment samples and miscellaneous equipment brought over to orbiter. In Biorack, 11 separate scientific investigations were conducted. Study topics included effect of microgravity and cosmic radiation on plants, tissues, cells, bacteria and insects and effects of microgravity on bone loss. Also transferred to station were Mir Glovebox Stowage (MGBX) equipment to replenish glovebox already on station; Queen’s University Experiment in Liquid Diffusion (QUELD) flown in orbiter middeck locker; and High Temperature Liquid Phase Sintering (LPS) experiment.

On flight day six, Godwin and Clifford conducted first U.S. extravehicular activity (EVA) around two mated spacecraft. During six-hour, two-minute, 28-second EVA, they attached four Mir Environmental Effects Payload (MEEP) experiments to station’s Docking Module. Experiments designed to characterize environment around Mir over an 18-month period. Godwin and Clifford wore Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue (SAFER) propulsive devices first flight-tested during STS-64.

Other payloads: Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX); KidSat, a project that gives middle school students opportunity to participate in space exploration; and Trapped Ions in Space (TRIS), a Naval Research Laboratory experiment flown in Get Away Special canister in cargo bay.

ee also

*Space science
*Space shuttle
*List of space shuttle missions
*List of human spaceflights chronologically

External links

* [http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-76/mission-sts-76.html NASA mission summary]
* [http://www.nss.org/resources/library/shuttlevideos/shuttle76.htm STS-76 Video Highlights]