Astronauts Gallery

STS-86 Launch

The Space Shuttle Atlantis blazes through the night sky to begin the STS-86 mission, slated to be the seventh of nine planned dockings of the Space Shuttle with the Russian Space Station Mir. Liftoff on September 25 from Launch Pad 39A was at 10:34 p.m. EDT, within seconds of the preferred time, during a six minute, 45 second launch window. The 10 day flight will include the transfer of the sixth U.S. astronaut to live and work aboard the Mir. After the docking, STS-86 Mission Specialist David A. Wolf will become a member of the Mir 24 crew, replacing astronaut C. Michael Foale, who will return to Earth aboard Atlantis with the remainder of the STS-86 crew. Foale has been on the Russian Space Station since mid May. Wolf is scheduled to remain there about four months. Besides Wolf (embarking to Mir) and Foale (returning), the STS-86 crew includes Commander James D. Wetherbee, Pilot Michael J. Bloomfield, and Mission Specialists Wendy B. Lawrence, Scott E. Parazynski, Vladimir Georgievich Titov of the Russian Space Agency, and Jean-Loup J.M. Chretien of the French Space Agency, CNES. Other primary objectives of the mission are a spacewalk by Parazynski and Titov, and the exchange of about 3.5 tons of science/logistical equipment and supplies between Atlantis and the Mir

© NASA

Komarov before Soyuz 1 launch, 1967

Komarov before Soyuz 1 launch, speaking at the launch site in Kazakhstan, on 23 April 1967. Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov (1927-1967) was killed during this mission. He launched later the same day, but the spacecraft soon began to spin out of control during its orbits. Komarov's wife was brought to the control centre to say farewell. After 18 orbits, Komarov attempted to perform a re-entry and safe landing on 24 April 1967. The parachutes failed to deploy properly, and he was killed on impact, becoming the first person to die during a space flight. It was later reported that the Soviets had rushed the launch of Soyuz 1 before it was fully ready, timing it to coincide with political celebrations for Lenin's birthday

© RIA NOVOSTI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

US exploration of Mars, artwork

US exploration of Mars, artwork. Astronaut preparing to plant the flag of the United States of America (USA) on the Martian surface. Mars is a rocky desert world with no surface water and a gravity about one third of that on Earth. The atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide and surface temperatures are well below freezing. The thin atmosphere means that flags need to be rigid rather than made of cloth. Human missions to explore Mars have been planned since the 1950s, usually involving a period of 10 to 30 years to develop the necessary technology and resources. The most recent US plan, NASA's Constellation Program, had a Martian mission as its ultimate aim, but as of 2010 has an uncertain future

© DETLEV VAN RAVENSWAAY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY