Launch from Cape Canaveral (
KSC);
landing on Cape Canaveral (
KSC).
Atlantis carried out the sixth
Shuttle-MIR mission. The prior Shuttle-MIR missions were
STS-71,
STS-74,
STS-76,
STS-79 and
STS-81. The Spacehab-DM was onboard.
Following a two day solo flight the Atlantis docked with the MIR space station
on May 17, 1997. This mission was a common flight with the
23nd MIR resident crew
(May 17, - May 22, 1997). The crew performed tests of a new developed docking
maneuver.
STS-84 involved the transfer of 3,318 kilograms (7,310 lb) of
water and logistics to and from the MIR. During the docked phase, 465 kilograms
(1,030 lb) of water, 383.2 kilograms (845 lb) of U.S. science equipment,
1,168.6 kilograms (2,576 lb) of Russian logistics along with 178.1 kilograms
(393 lb) of miscellaneous material were transferred to MIR. Returning to Earth
aboard Atlantis were 407.1 kilograms (898 lb) of U.S. science material, 531.2
kilograms (1,171 lb) of Russian logistics, 14 kilograms (31 lb) of
ESA
material and 170.7 kilograms (376 lb) of miscellaneous material.
Michael
Foale replaced Jerry
Linenger onboard the MIR and became member of the
23nd MIR resident
crew.
The research program conducted by Michael
Foale featured 35 investigations total (33 on MIR, two on
STS-84, and another preflight/postflight) in six disciplines: advanced
technology, Earth observations and remote sensing, fundamental biology, human
life sciences, space station risk mitigation, and microgravity sciences.
Twenty-eight of these were conducted during previous missions and were to be
continued, repeated or completed during Michael
Foales stay. Seven new experiments were planned in biological
and crystal growth studies and materials processing.
Other activities
conducted during the mission included investigations using the Biorack
facility, located in the SPACEHAB Double Module in Atlantis’s payload bay,
a photo survey of MIR during docked operations, environmental air samplings and
radiation monitoring.
The undocking occurred on May 21, 1997. Unlike
prior dockings, no flyaround of the station by the orbiter was conducted, but
the orbiter was stopped three times while backing away to collect data from a
European sensor device designed to assist future rendezvous of a proposed
European Space Agency (
ESA)
resupply vehicle with the International Space Station.
