| STS-76 | Crew | Payload | Mission | MEEP |
STS-76
Space Shuttle Atlantis
Launched:
March 22, 1996, 3:13 a.m. EST
Kennedy Space Center, Pad 39-B
Orbit:
160 nautical milesInclination:
51.6 degreesLanded:
March 31, 1996, 8:28:57 a.m. EST Edwards Air Force BaseMission:
9 days, 5 hours, 16 minutes
STS-76
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| STS-76 | Crew | Payload | Mission | MEEP |
STS-76 Crew
Commander Kevin P. Chilton
Third Shuttle flightPilot Richard A. Searfoss
Second Shuttle flightMission Specialist Linda M. Godwin, Ph.D.
Third Shuttle flightMission Specialist Michael R. Clifford
Third Shuttle flightMission Specialist Ronald M. Sega, Ph.D.
Second Shuttle flightMission Specialist Shannon W. Lucid, Ph.D.
Third Shuttle flight; remaining on Mir
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| STS-76 | Crew | Payload | Mission | MEEP |
Payload
Space Habitation Module
Shuttle Shortwave Amateur Radio Experiment
Mir Environmental Effects Payload
Trapped Ions in Space Experiment
Mir Wireless Network Experiment
KidSat Educational Activity
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| STS-76 | Crew | Payload | Mission | MEEP |
Mission: March 22 - 31, 1996
When STS-76 took Shannon Lucid up to Mir, the U.S. began a continuous presence in orbit that would last for more than two years. The mission also marked the first U.S. spacewalk around the two mated spacecraft, and the first time the SPACEHAB pressurized module was used to carry supplies and equipment to and from Mir.
After a dayÆs delay because of a high wind forecast, Atlantis launched in the cold predawn morning, with light from the engines reflecting off the clouds. During ascent, a sensor detected a leak in one of AtlantisÆ hydraulic systems, but NASA determined it was not a danger to the Orbiter. Over the next two days, the Russian flight controllers were satisfied that Mir was not at risk, and they gave their go-ahead to continue the joint mission. On Flight Day 2, rendezvous and docking came with future Mir resident David Wolf serving as CAPCOM in Houston and cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev sitting next to him. Onboard Atlantis, Rick Searfoss took the CommanderÆs seat, and Kevin Chilton controlled the Orbiter from the aft flight deck windows. Former NASA Director of Russian Operations Ron Sega handled computations on the laptop computer. As the two spacecraft closed, the Sun set and Mir turned a rosy color. Then, MirÆs rusty-hued docking module inched down toward the ShuttleÆs docking system. After "capture," a slight glitch with the fasteners caused the two spacecraft to sway slightly, effectively demonstrating the robustness of the docking system.
Shannon Lucid linked up with her Mir crew, and everyone began transferring equipment and supplies. The U.S. astronauts discovered that Mir was, in different ways, both large and small. Searfoss observed that, at first, it was possible to get disoriented in MirÆs transfer node, and that moving around in Mir is kind of like being a spelunker. Ron Sega later noted the tightness of some passageways: "After hearing of the experiences of the two previous [STS] shuttle crews that had been on Mir . . . we had a pretty good idea of what the Mir would be like. Some of the tools were placed in more tenuous situations . . . so you were cautioned, correctly, by the cosmonauts to be careful . . . not to dislodge pliers and screwdrivers and . . . things that were tacked along the sides." During five days of docked operations, approximately 1,500 pounds of water and two tons of scientific equipment, logistical material, and resupply items were transferred to Mir while experiment samples and miscellaneous equipment were brought over to Atlantis.
On Flight Day 6, NASA Mission Specialists Linda M. Godwin and Michael "Rich" Clifford conducted the first U.S. extravehicular activity around the two mated spacecraft. This was also the first time since Skylabù22 years beforeùthat U.S. astronauts had spacewalked outside a space station. According to Godwin, the Russians were understandably concerned about the two Americans getting too close to solar arrays and other fragile equipment, but it was a thrilling experience for the spacewalkers and for those watching them. During their six-hour extravehicular activity, Godwin and Clifford attached four Mir Environmental Effects Payload experiments to MirÆs docking module.
Flight controllers shortened STS-76 by one day due to weather concerns at Kennedy Space Center. After leaving Lucid on Mir and undocking, Atlantis performed a fly-around about which Searfoss later commented: "The whole station is chameleon-like with different orbital lighting conditions and Sun angles. . . . I was enthralled by the constantly changing and indescribably beautiful hues of white, tan, gold, and blue."
Commander Chilton landed Atlantis at Edwards Air Force Base in California and, for the first time, a Space Shuttle had returned with fewer astronauts than it had launched with.
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| STS-76 | Crew | Payload | Mission | MEEP |
MEEP - Mir Environmental Effects Payload
Mission Specialists Godwin and Clifford attached the Mir Environmental Effects Payload (MEEP) to the Shuttle-Mir docking module during an STS-76 extravehicular activity. (During an STS-86 spacewalk, MEEP would be retrieved by NASA Mission Specialist Scott Parazynski and Cosmonaut Vladimir Titov.)
MEEP studied the frequency and effects of both human-made and natural space debris striking Mir, capturing some debris for later study. This payload also exposed International Space Station materials to the effects of space and orbital debris.
MEEP consisted of four separate experiments. The Polished Plate Micrometeoroid and Debris Experiment studied how often space debris hit the station, the sizes and sources of the debris, and the damage the debris might do on hitting a space station. The Orbital Debris Collector Experiment captured orbital debris for return to Earth to determine the possible origins and components of that debris. The Passive Optical Sample Assembly I and II Experiments tested various materials intended for use on the International Space Station including paint samples, glass coatings, multilayer insulation, and a variety of metallic samples.
The four MEEP experiments were contained in four passive experiment carriers. Each carrier consisted of a sidewall attachment to the OrbiterÆs payload bay, a handrail clamp for attachment to MirÆs docking module, and an experiment container to house individual experiments.