STS-79

STS-79 was a Space Shuttle Atlantis mission flown in September 1996 as the fourth Shuttle docking with the Mir space station and the first U.S. crew exchange aboard Mir. The flight brought Shannon Lucid back to Earth after 188 days in space, then a U.S. duration record and a world record for a woman, and delivered John Blaha to begin the next American long-duration stay with the Mir-22 crew. William Readdy commanded Atlantis, Terrence Wilcutt served as pilot, and Jerome Apt, Thomas Akers, Carl Walz, Blaha, and Lucid made up the mission specialist team across launch, docking, and landing operations. STS-79 also carried the first SPACEHAB Double Module configuration, supporting logistics transfer, science samples, water, equipment, and risk-reduction experiments for later International Space Station operations. Atlantis launched from Kennedy Space Center's Pad 39A on September 16, docked with Mir on September 19, undocked on September 24, and landed at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility on September 26 after just over ten days in orbit.