STS-76
Space Shuttle Atlantis heads towards Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39B
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| Mission type | Shuttle-Mir |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1996-018A |
| SATCAT no. | 23831 |
| Mission duration | 9 days, 5 hours, 16 minutes, 48 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 6,100,000 kilometres (3,800,000 mi) estimated |
| Orbits completed | 145 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Atlantis |
| Launch mass | 111,740 kilograms (246,340 lb) |
| Landing mass | 95,396 kilograms (210,312 lb) |
| Payload mass | 6,753 kilograms (14,888 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 6 up 5 down |
| Members |
Kevin P. Chilton Richard A. Searfoss Ronald M. Sega Michael R. Clifford Linda M. Godwin |
| Launching | Shannon Lucid |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 22 March 1996, 08:13:04 UTC |
| Launch site | Kennedy LC-39B |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 31 March 1996, 13:28:57 UTC |
| Landing site | Edwards Runway 22 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee | 389 kilometres (242 mi) |
| Apogee | 411 kilometres (255 mi) |
| Inclination | 51.6 degrees |
| Period | 92.5 min |
| Docking with Mir | |
| Docking port | SO starboard |
| Docking date | 24 March 1996, 02:34:05 UTC |
| Undocking date | 29 March 1996, 01:08:03 UTC |
| Time docked | 4 days, 22 hours, 33 minutes, 58 seconds |
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 Left to right - Front: Sega, Chilton, Searfoss; Back: Clifford, Lucid, Godwin. |
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STS-76 was NASA's 76th Space Shuttle mission, and the 16th mission for Atlantis. STS-76 launched on 22 March 1996 at 3:13 am EST (UTC −5) from Kennedy Space Center launch pad 39B. STS-76 lasted over 9 days, traveled about 3,800,000 miles (6,100,000 km) while orbiting Earth an estimated 145 times, and landing at 5:28 am PST (UTC −8) on 31 March 1996 at Edwards Air Force Base runway 22.
The flight was the third Shuttle mission to dock with the Russian Space Station Mir, as part of the Shuttle-Mir Program, carrying astronaut Shannon Lucid to the orbital laboratory to replace NASA astronaut Norm Thagard. STS-76 also carried a SPACEHAB single module along with Lucid, and on flight day 6 Linda Godwin and Michael R. Clifford performed the first U.S. spacewalk around two docked spacecraft.
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 the next two years.
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