STS-76

STS-76 was a Space Shuttle Atlantis mission flown in March 1996 as the third Shuttle docking with the Mir space station. The flight delivered Shannon Lucid to Mir for a long-duration stay and carried SPACEHAB logistics and science equipment, including Biorack investigations, to support the Shuttle-Mir program. Kevin Chilton commanded Atlantis with Richard Searfoss as pilot and Ronald Sega, Michael Clifford, Linda Godwin, and Lucid as mission specialists. During the docked phase, Godwin and Clifford performed the first U.S. spacewalk around the joined Shuttle-Mir complex, testing equipment and techniques for future station assembly work. Atlantis launched from Kennedy Space Center's Pad 39B on March 22, 1996, undocked from Mir on March 29, and landed at Edwards Air Force Base on March 31 after more than nine days in orbit.