STS-74/Atlantis

On the second docking mission, Atlantis brings a new docking module-and a new era of cooperation

 

****UNDER CONSTRUCTION****

Prime Crew: Kenneth D. Cameron (Commander)

James D. Halsell (Pilot)

Jerry L. Ross (Mission Specialist)

William S. McArthur, Jr. (Mission Specialist)

Chris A. Hadfield (Canadian Space Agency; Mission Specialist)  

Shuttle Orbiter: Atlantis (OV-104)

November 12, 1995

MIR Docking: November 15, 1995

MIR Undocking: 4:15 AM EDT, November 18, 1995 

Mission Duration: 8 days 4 hours 31 minutes 42 seconds

128 Orbits

Landing: November 20, 1995-Runway 33 (Shuttle Landing Facility), John F. Kennedy Space Center, FL

 

 

These five NASA astronauts including one Canadian are in training for the STS-74 mission of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, scheduled later this year. Astronauts Kenneth D. Cameron (front right) and James D. Halsell Jr. (front left) are commander and pilot, respectively, for the flight. On the back row, left to right, are astronauts Williarn McArthur Jr., Jerry L Ross and Chris A. Hadfield, all mission specialists. Hadfield is an international mission specialist representing the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). NASA Photo.

 

In Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2, Mission Specialists Bill McArthur Jr. (left) and Jerry Ross are reviewing the configuration of payload elements in the orbiter Atlantis' payload bay. It is Sept. 16, 1995, and Ross and McArthur are participating in the Crew Equipment Interface Test (CEIT), an opportunity for flight crew members to become familiar with the payload hardware they will be working with on-orbit. Note their "clean-room" coveralls and headgear. NASA Photo.

 

Oct. 12, and the skies don't look too friendly. Atlantis was rolled out to Pad 39A last night, when the possibility of a lightning strike was the most remote. At the pad, the Fixed Service Structure tower has a built-in lightning rod to protect the vehicle from a strike. The Crawler hauled the vehicle and MLP out of the VAB at around midnight, and arrived 3 1/2 miles away at the pad at about 5:30 AM. NASA Photo.

 

November 11, 1995. A launch attempt had been scheduled, but bad weather at the Transoceanic Abort Landing (TAL) sites forced NASA to scrub the launch. Chris Hadfield (front) and Jerry Ross still manage to smile on the way back to the Operations and Checkout Building. NASA Photo.

 

With the launch rescheduled for the 12th, the crew gets one more night on Earth. The next morning, it's back to business. After breakfast, Kenneth Cameron (shown) and the rest of the crew suit up in the Operations & Checkout Building. To rendezvous with Mir, they have a seven-minute launch window that will open at about 7:30 AM EST. NASA Photo.  

 

7:30:43.071 AM EST, Nov. 12. Atlantis is underway. NASA Photo.

Video: Life at Baikonur & launch of ESA's Thomas Reiter on MIR-20 (MPEG)

 Video: On-orbit assembly of the Orbital Docking System (MPEG)

Video: STS-74/Mir docking (MPEG)

 

Video: A quick tour of Mir and the Shuttle with ESA's Thomas Reiter (MPEG: Silent)