STS-81 crewmembers on the orbiter’s flight deck

STS081-E-05504 (16 Jan. 1997) --- Astronaut John E. Blaha re-unites with the familiar surroundings of the Space Shuttle Atlantis' aft flight deck, which he has not seen since September 1996, when he went aboard the Russian Mir Space Station complex. After the January 15, 1997 docking of Mir and Atlantis, Blaha assumed the status of a STS-81 mission specialist. Here, he checks small items against a check list. The photograph was recorded with an Electronic Still Camera (ESC) and later was downlinked to flight controllers in Houston, Texas.