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| S P E C I A L S: | CNN In-Depth: - Space |
| Mission Mir |
Mir, Endeavour rendezvous
January 24, 1998
David Wolf as the shuttle mates with Mir
Web posted at: 4:23 p.m. EST (2123 GMT)JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, Texas (CNN) -- The U.S. space shuttle Endeavour has docked with the Russian space station Mir to exchange astronauts and deliver supplies.
The two spacecraft made contact at 3:14 p.m. EST (2014 GMT) Saturday, about 240 miles above southern Russia. The hatch between Endeavour and Mir is scheduled to be opened at 4:50 p.m., although NASA officials indicated that scheduled could be moved up.
Australian-born U.S. astronaut Andrew Thomas, who came up on Endeavour, will be staying on Mir for the next four months. He is the seventh and last American scheduled to spend time aboard Mir as part of a joint U.S.-Russian program.
David Wolf, who has been on board Mir since September, will board Endeavour for the return ride to Earth.
On board Mir they prepare to open the hatch Despite problems that have plagued Mir, including a fire and collision, Thomas, 46 says he isn't fearful about his stay on the space station.
"I think the Russians have done a very good job of stabilizing the situation on Mir following some very serious situations last year," he said in an interview on the way to Mir. "My concern more is just learning to live and function for a long time on a day-to-day basis in conditions which at times might be difficult."
The same concerns about safety before Wolf's departure led NASA officials to consider canceling his mission, as some members of Congress were demanding. But in the end, NASA opted to go ahead, and Wolf's stay on Mir has been relatively glitch-free.
Mir and Endeavour are scheduled to remain docked for five days. During that time, thousands of pounds of supplies will be moved from the shuttle into the space station, including water, food, an air conditioner, a spare computer and several scientific experiments.
This was the first Mir docking for Endeavour, the newest shuttle in the U.S. fleet. It docked with the space station after approaching from directly below, an approach never before attempted.
The new approach was requested by the Russians, who believed the previous docking methods were causing jets on the shuttle to contaminate Mir's solar arrays.
Endeavour blasted off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center Thursday night.
Rough seas have so far prevented crews from recovering its solid rocket boosters, which were shed over the Atlantic Ocean after liftoff. The boosters are bobbing in the sea about 150 miles off the Florida coast, monitored by Navy ships to make sure they become no danger to shipping.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Related stories:
- Endeavour blasts off for rendezvous with Mir - January 22, 1998
- Weather may delay shuttle Endeavour - January 21, 1998
- Last U.S. astronaut to blast off for Mir on Thursday - January 20, 1998
- Astronaut David Wolf completes 'spectacular' spacewalk - January 14, 1998
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