May 19, 1997

Debra J. Rahn
Headquarters, Washington, DC
(Phone: 202/358-1778)

Eileen Hawley
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
(Phone: 281/483-5111)

Release: 97-103

Astronaut Shannon Lucid Receives Russian Order of Friendship Medal

Astronaut Shannon Lucid received the Order of Friendship medal from Russian President Boris Yeltsin during a ceremony at the Kremlin honoring Russian Cosmonauts and international astronauts who have flown on the Russian space station Mir in 1996.

The Order of Friendship medal is one of the highest Russian civilian awards and the highest award that can be presented to a non-citizen.

Dr. Lucid spent a U.S. record of 188 days in space last year. She was launched to Mir on the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-76) on March 22, 1996, and returned to Earth on Atlantis (STS-79) on September 26, 1996.

Lucid was selected as an astronaut in 1978, the first astronaut class to include women to train for Space Shuttle missions. Lucid has flown on five space missions including her Mir mission. Dr. Lucid holds pilot ratings in commercial, instrument and multi-engine aircraft.

text-only version of this release