KSC-97pc782

STS-84 Mission Specialist Elena V. Kondakova, a cosmonaut with the Russian Space Agency, and her husband, Valery Ryumin, greet press represenatives and other well wishers after her arrival at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility. Ryumin is director of the Mir-Shuttle program for RSC Energia in Russia. This will be Kondakova’s first flight on a U.S. Space Shuttle, but her second trip into space. She spent 169 days in space as flight engineer of the 17th main mission on Mir from October 1994 to March 1995. STS-84 will be the sixth docking of the Space Shuttle with the Russian Space Station Mir. During the docking, STS-84 Mission Specialist C. Michael Foale will transfer to the Russian space station to become a member of the Mir 23 crew, replacing U.S. astronaut Jerry M. Linenger, who will return to Earth on Atlantis. Foale is scheduled to remain on Mir about four months until his replacement arrives on STS-86 in September