SPACEPHOTOS

(05/15/1997) --- The crew of Mission STS-84 departs from the Operations and Checkout Building en route to Launch Pad 39A, where the Space Shuttle Atlantis awaits liftoff on the sixth docking of the Space Shuttle with the Russian Space Station Mir. Leading the way, from left, are Pilot Eileen Marie Collins and Commander Charles J. Precourt. Mission Specialist Elena V. Kondakova, a cosmonaut with the Russian Space Agency, walks behind Collins, and is followed by Mission Specialist C. Michael Foale, with hands upraised. At rear, from left, are Mission Specialist Jean-Francois Clervoy of the European Space Agency, Mission Specialist Edward Tsang Lu and Mission Specialist Carlos I. Noriega. The Space Shuttle Atlantis and its crew of seven are scheduled to lift off during an approximate 7-minute launch window which opens about 4:08 a.m. The exact liftoff time will be determined about 90 minutes prior to launch, based on Mir’s current location. The planned nine-day mission also will include the exchange of Foale for U.S. astronaut and Mir 23 crew member Jerry M. Linenger, who has been on Mir since Jan. 15. Linenger will return to Earth on Atlantis, and Foale will remain on Mir for about four months