KSC-97pc783

STS-84 crew members greet press representatives and other onlookers after their arrival at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility Sunday evening (May 12, 1997), about an hour before the countdown clock will begin ticking toward the scheduled May 15 launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis on Mission STS-84. From left, are Mission Specialist Carlos I. Noriega, Pilot Eileen Marie Collins, Mission Specialist C. Michael Foale, Mission Specialist Elena V. Kondakova of the Russian Space Agency, Commander Charles J. Precourt, Mission Specialist Jean-Francois Clervoy of the European Space Agency, and Mission Specialist Edward Tsang Lu. STS-84 will be the sixth docking of the Space Shuttle with the Russian Space Station Mir. During the docking, 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