June 29, 1995 - The U.S. space shuttle Atlantis successfully docked with the Russian space station called what?

The U.S. space shuttle Atlantis made history on June 29, 1995, when it successfully docked with the Russian space station Mir. This pivotal event marked the first time a U.S. space shuttle connected with the modular Russian outpost, and it was a significant step in post-Cold War international space collaboration. The mission, designated STS-71, was the 100th U.S. human space launch and the first of nine Space Shuttle dockings with Mir as part of the Shuttle-Mir program.

Mir, meaning "peace" or "world" in Russian, was a groundbreaking Soviet-era space station, the first continuously inhabited long-term research station in orbit. Its core module launched in 1986, and it was assembled in orbit over a decade, becoming the largest artificial satellite in orbit at the time, prior to the International Space Station (ISS). The Shuttle-Mir program served as a crucial precursor to the ISS, allowing both nations to gain invaluable experience with longer-duration spaceflights, joint operations, and crew exchanges.

During the five days Atlantis was docked with Mir, the combined spacecraft formed the largest in orbit at that time, weighing approximately 225 tons. The mission facilitated the exchange of crews, with two Russian cosmonauts arriving at Mir and American astronaut Norman Thagard, who had spent nearly four months aboard Mir, returning to Earth on Atlantis. Joint scientific investigations, particularly biomedical studies, were conducted, and supplies were transferred between the two spacecraft. This historic docking not only demonstrated the technical capabilities of both space programs but also symbolized a new era of cooperation and partnership in space exploration, laying essential groundwork for the future International Space Station.