(16 Mar 1995) English/Nat
Astronaut Norman Thagard has today (Thursday) become the first American to go aboard the Russian space station Mir.
He was blasted into orbit in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft - another first for an American.
Today, (Thursday) the Soyuz capsule carrying Thagard and two Russian cosmonauts docked at the orbiting outpost right on time.. and without a hitch.
The packed control room in Kalinigrad, Russia watched on monitor as the historic link- up took place.
SOUNDUP: ( 'We have the first contact with the two vehicles.")
A spontaneous outburst of applause broke the tense silence as Russians and Americans alike, viewed the historic meeting of two nations in space.
SOUNDBITE: This is mission control in Kalinigrad, we are getting video from the new Mir space station as the US astronaut Norman Thagard enters in and is greeted by Flight engineer, Elena Kondikova.
Behind him is Gennady Strekalov, flight engineer.
SUPERCAPTION:
KARI FLUEGEL/ NASA PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Emotions ran high as Thagard and his fellow astronauts made contact.. and made history.
To welcome the first American on board the Mir space station, the Russian cosmonauts flew the American flag.
The link-up follows a full year of painstaking preparation, and lays the groundwork for the creation of an International Space Station in 2002.
Thagard launched into space knowing he was the first American to fly in a Russian capsule and hoping he would be the first American to dock at Mir.
Today (Thursday) his dream came true.
There was much to celebrate once the historic link up had been completed. The astronauts know they have made history, and are the pioneers of a new area of International space cooperation.
The three astronauts already on board Mir include Vladimir Polyakov who holds the longest record in space and is due to go home later this week.
Thagard, Dezhurov and Strekalov will return to Earth on the U-S space shuttle Atlantis in three months time.
While in space, Thagard will conduct both scientific and medical experiments including the long term effects of being in space.
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