November 6, 1997

Doug Peterson
Johnson Space Center
(281) 483-5914

Release: J97-36

Special Event Honoring STS-86 Mission to Mir

NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) will host a special event at Space Center Houston at 7 p.m. November 12 to honor the astronaut crew of the recently completed Shuttle mission to Mir, STS-86. The free event will feature presentations of awards to the crew and key contributors to the mission, a mission slide show narrated by the crew, and the IMAX movie, "Mission to Mir".

The program will feature Shuttle and Mir astronaut Michael Foale and STS-86 crew members describing their experiences, and comments by Shuttle-Mir Phase One Director Frank Culbertson.

STS-86 was the seventh shuttle mission to dock with Russia’s Mir Space Station to deliver supplies, return Mike Foale from the outpost following his 145 day stay in space, and deliver Dave Wolf for his on-going stay aboard the Mir. The STS-86 mission lasted ten days in late September and early October, including nearly seven days docked with Mir.

Michael Foale, who became an STS-86 crew member for his trip back to Earth, called his experience on the Russian space station an example of the "great things for us to do as a planet in space."

The general public is encouraged to attend, but should arrive promptly due to the limited seating available in the Space Center Houston IMAX theater. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the seating is first come first served. The program is limited to the theater, and other Space Center Houston attractions will not be open.

The STS-86 special event is also a part of JSC’s Inspection 97 which runs between November 12 and 14. Inspection 97 guests, in addition to touring the center and discussing the Phase One Mir program, will be invited to honor the STS-86 mission and hear first hand the challenges of joint missions to space.

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