Shuttle Arrives to Take Mir Astronaut Home

The space shuttle Atlantis arrived at Russia’s Mir station Wednesday night to pick up astronaut Shannon Lucid, thrilled to be going home after a record-breaking six months in orbit.

The shuttle docked with the station, its lights flashing like a beacon, about 240 miles above the Carpathian Mountains of Eastern Europe. Faces were pressed tight against the windows of both spacecraft.

The airwaves crackled in English and Russian as the space travelers--six on Atlantis, three on Mir--shouted out information.

“Atlantis and Mir are shaking hands,” shuttle commander William Readdy informed Mission Control after the successful linkup.

Lucid couldn’t wait for the hatches to open; she was like a child longing to go home after a summer away at camp.

The last time she saw Americans face-to-face was when Atlantis left her aboard Mir in March.

While Lucid has said she enjoyed her time aboard Mir, she planned to waste no time moving out. All her bags were packed and, within a few hours of the docking, she was to swap places with Atlantis astronaut John Blaha, who will stay for four months.

“She’s ready to leave, but I’m ready to get there and get on to working with the Russians,” Blaha said.

Blaha, 54, will be the third American to live aboard the Russian complex.

Lucid won’t actually leave for home until next week. Atlantis will undock from Mir on Monday after five days of linked flight, and will return to Earth the following Thursday.