On June 27, 1995, the Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis (STS-71) took off from Kennedy Space Center for what would be a nine day, 19 hour mission.
On June 27, 1995, the Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis (STS-71) took off from Kennedy Space Center for what would be a nine day, 19 hour mission. The flight marked the 100th United States human space launch as well as the first docking between the Space Shuttle and the Russian Space Station MIR. During this docking, joint US and Russian life science investigations were performed in the Spacelab module tucked inside Atlantis’ large cargo bay. When talking about the mission, then NASA Administrator Dan Goldin remarked, “this flight heralds a new era of cooperation between our two countries. It will lay the foundation for the construction of an International Space Station later this decade.”
Image credit: NASA