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Space Exploration

Shannon Lucid Returns After 188 Days in Space

On September 26, 1996, astronaut Shannon Lucid returned to Earth aboard Atlantis after spending 188 days in space, most of them aboard the Mir station.

On September 26, 1996, astronaut Shannon Lucid returned to Earth aboard space shuttle Atlantis. She had spent 188 days in space, including a long stay aboard the Russian space station Mir.

Space shuttle Atlantis landing after mission STS-79
Atlantis returned Shannon Lucid to Earth on September 26, 1996. · [Add credit for the selected NASA image]

An extended stay aboard Mir

Lucid's return was delayed while NASA prepared the shuttle mission that would bring her home. By the time Atlantis landed, her stay had set a U.S. spaceflight-duration record and a world record for a woman at that time.

Why September 26 matters

Her return marked the end of an extraordinary mission and demonstrated what a long stay in orbit could involve for an astronaut and the teams supporting her on Earth.

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