Shannon Lucid’s Record-Setting Mission Aboard Mir

Shannon Lucid on Mir looking at wheat growing in a small greenhouse

Astronaut Shannon W. Lucid checked on wheat plants aboard Russia’s Mir Space Station on Sept. 23, 1996. Lucid left Mir later that day along with the rest of the STS-79 crew except for John E. Blaha, who was beginning a four-month stay aboard the station.

NASA

Shannon Lucid’s Record-Setting Mission Aboard Mir

Three days before returning to Earth, Shannon W. Lucid—who joined NASA in 1978 as one of its first six female astronauts—checked in on wheat growing in the Svet greenhouse aboard the Russian space station Mir. For six months, Lucid lived and worked alongside two Russian cosmonauts conducting life science studies and other experiments in microgravity.

Lucid returned to Earth aboard space shuttle Atlantis on Sept. 26, 1996, completing a 188-day mission—a new record for both a woman and for an American. Lessons from her time on Mir helped NASA prepare for the psychological and cultural challenges of long-duration missions on the International Space Station. 

In December 1996, President Bill Clinton awarded Shannon Lucid the Congressional Space Medal of Honor for her achievement. She was the tenth person and the first woman to receive this award.

After her mission on Mir, Lucid continued to serve NASA in key roles on the ground. She worked as a CAPCOM in Mission Control, where she was the primary voice communicating with astronauts in orbit. Later, she served as NASA’s Chief Scientist, helping guide the agency’s science priorities. Lucid retired from NASA in 2012 after a career that spanned more than three decades.