NASA. Spectacular view of the space shuttle ATLANTIS (Missio - Lot 164

NASA. Spectacular view of the space shuttle ATLANTIS (Mission STS-71) docking for the 1st time with the Russian space station MIR. NASA and the Russian space agency kicked off a new era of international space cooperation in June 1995, when the space shuttle Atlantis docked for the first time with the Russian space station Mir. The STS-71 mission marked the 100th American human space launch. For the docking, Shuttle Commander Hoot Gibson positioned Atlantis directly beneath Mir, so that Earth's gravity naturally slowed the orbiter's approach to Mir. The final approach rate of about one inch per minute ended at 216 nautical miles over the Lake Baykal region of Russia, with a near-perfect docking, offset by less than an inch and half a degree. June 1995. Vintage chromogenic print. Numbering in the margin on the front. Legend on back label.20.4 x 25.4CM with margins.