Mir Station 03/1996 - Mir Space Station 03/1996 - Mir Space Station seen above New...

Mir Station 03/1996 - Mir Space Station 03/1996 - Mir Space Station seen above New Zealand from the Atlantis Shuttle before its mooring. 23/03/1996. Backdropped against the waters of Cook Strait near New Zealand's South Island, Russia's Mir Space Station is seen from the aft flight deck window of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. The two spacecraft were in the process of making their third docking in Earth - orbit. With the subsequent delivery of astronaut Shannon W. Lucid to the Mir, the Mir - 21 crew grew to three, as the mission specialist quickly becomes a cosmonaut guest researcher. She will spend approximately 140 days on Mir before returning to Earth. Tue 23 1996