Mir Dreams
This dream-like image of Mir was recorded
by astronauts as the Space Shuttle
Atlantis approached the Russian Space Station
prior to docking during
the STS-76 mission. Sporting spindly
appendages and solar pannels, Mir resembles a whimsical flying insect
as it orbits above
New Zealand's South Island near the Cook Strait.
Atlantis shuttled astronaut
Shannon W. Lucid to Mir for a 140 day visit,
increasing the Mir's occupancy from 2 to 3. It will return to
pick Lucid up and drop off
astronaut John Blaha during
the STS-79 mission presently
scheduled for launch on July 31, 1996.