STS-84 Atlantis, with Eileen Collins as pilot, landed after a ten-day Shuttle-Mir docking and resupply mission.
Space Shuttle Atlantis mission STS-84 concluded on May 25, 1997, after a ten-day flight during which pilot Eileen Collins helped execute the sixth docking between the Shuttle and the Russian space station Mir.
The mission successfully transferred supplies, scientific hardware, and personnel between the two spacecraft, continuing the vital Shuttle-Mir cooperative program between the United States and Russia. Collins's role as pilot required precise handling of the orbiter during rendezvous, docking, and undocking procedures with Mir, tasks demanding both technical skill and composure under the complexities of orbital mechanics.
This successful landing marked Collins's second completed spaceflight and further demonstrated her growing expertise and reliability as a pilot within NASA's astronaut corps. Her consistent excellence across multiple flights was instrumental in NASA selecting her for the historic command role she would take on just two years later with STS-93.
The Shuttle-Mir missions, including STS-84, were essential stepping stones toward the construction of the International Space Station, providing NASA and Russian space agencies with practical experience in space station operations, long-duration crew rotations, and complex docking procedures that would define the next era of human spaceflight.