STS-74 « AmericaSpace

'Ice Cream Sandwiches': 20 Years Since the Second Shuttle-Mir Docking Mission (Part 2)

By Ben Evans, on November 8th, 2015

The orange-colored Docking Module (DM) is clearly visible at the extreme end of the Kristall module in this view of Mir, as seen by the departing crew of STS-74. Photo Credit: NASA, via Joachim Becker/SpaceFacts.de

For 15 years, Americans and Russians have lived together, on a continuous basis, aboard the International Space Station […]

'A Real Thrill': 20 Years Since the Second Shuttle-Mir Docking Mission (Part 1)

By Ben Evans, on November 7th, 2015

Becoming the first Canadian to operate the shuttle’s Canadian-built Remote Manipulator System (RMS), Chris Hadfield installs the Docking Module (DM) atop the Orbiter Docking System (ODS), ahead of the shuttle’s second docking mission to Mir, 20 years ago this month. Photo Credit: NASA, via Joachim Becker/SpaceFacts.de

The second is rarely remembered in the […]

Cosmic Ballet: Remembering Atlantis on 30th Anniversary of Maiden Flight (Part 4)

By Ben Evans, on October 6th, 2015

Between June 1995 and October 1997, Atlantis completed no fewer than seven dockings with Russia’s Mir space station, more than twice as many as any of her sister orbiters combined. Photo Credit: NASA

Thirty years ago, this week, in October 1985, Atlantis became the fourth member of NASA’s Space Shuttle fleet to […]

Astronauts Shannon Lucid and Jerry Ross to Be Honored With Hall of Fame Induction

By Emily Carney, on February 20th, 2014

Astronauts Jerry Ross and Dr. Shannon Lucid will be inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame on May 3. Image Credit: The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation website

A Shuttle-Mir veteran and a spacewalking virtuoso will join the ranks of other spaceflight legends on the afternoon of Saturday, May 3, at the Kennedy Space […]

What Do Mir's Solar Arrays Predict for ISS Arrays? Part 2: The Mir Cooperative Solar Array

By Christopher Paul, on December 29th, 2012

Space Station Mir seen from the aft. The MCSA is titled in the image. Image Credit: NASA

The Mir Solar Array Return Experiment was not the only U.S. effort to test technology for the then-upcoming International Space Station; the U.S. also contributed to a new solar array to feed the ever power-hungry Mir.

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Expedition 34 “Aims High” With Launch of Second Canadian Long-Duration Resident

By Ben Evans, on December 19th, 2012

Bearing the representatives of three nations—Canada, Russia, and the United States—the Soyuz TMA-07M spacecraft begins its journey into orbit on 19 December 2012. Photo Credit: NASA

It has been almost two decades since I received a signed portrait of Chris Hadfield, who is presently en-route to the International Space Station as its second […]