STS-63

STS-63 was Space Shuttle Discovery's February 1995 mission that rehearsed the close-proximity operations later used for Shuttle-Mir docking flights. Discovery launched from Kennedy Space Center's Pad 39B on February 3, 1995, with James Wetherbee commanding, Eileen Collins becoming the first woman to pilot a Space Shuttle mission, and Vladimir Titov flying as a Russian mission specialist. After a cautious rendezvous profile coordinated by U.S. and Russian teams, Discovery approached to roughly 37 feet from Mir, backed away, and completed a flyaround of the station without docking. The mission also carried SPACEHAB-3, Spartan 204, biotechnology, materials, technology-demonstration, and acceleration-measurement experiments. Bernard Harris and C. Michael Foale performed an EVA to test spacesuit cold-weather modifications and handling techniques for future station work; NASA records the spacewalk as the first by an African-American astronaut. Discovery landed at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility on February 11, 1995, after 8 days, 6 hours, 28 minutes, and 15 seconds in space.