STS-84 - FLOWN MIR cover crewsigned

STS-84 Atlantis–Mir — Rare Flown Cover Signed by the Shuttle Crew and Mir Residents

A rare and historically important cover flown aboard the Mir space station during STS-84, the sixth docking mission of NASA’s Shuttle–Mir program.

The cover bears two onboard Mir cancellations dated May 17 and May 22, 1997, precisely documenting the arrival and departure of Space Shuttle Atlantis. It is hand-signed by the STS-84 astronauts and the resident Mir crew, creating an exceptional multi-crew artifact from one of the most dramatic periods in the station’s history.

The complete STS-84 launch crew

Space Shuttle Atlantis launched with seven astronauts:

• Charles J. Precourt — Mission commander
• Eileen M. Collins — Pilot
• Jean-François Clervoy — ESA mission specialist
• Carlos I. Noriega — Mission specialist
• Edward Tsang Lu — Mission specialist
• Yelena V. Kondakova — Russian mission specialist
• C. Michael “Mike” Foale — Mission specialist and incoming Mir research astronaut

The resident Mir-23 crew awaiting them aboard the station consisted of:

• Vasily Tsibliyev — Mir-23 commander
• Aleksandr Lazutkin — Mir-23 flight engineer
• Jerry M. Linenger — NASA research astronaut and outgoing Mir resident

The mission that delivered Mike Foale to Mir

STS-84 launched from Kennedy Space Center on May 15, 1997, and docked with Mir on May 17. During the docked phase, Mike Foale formally exchanged places with Jerry Linenger, becoming the fourth American astronaut to undertake a long-duration stay aboard the Russian station.

Linenger had lived aboard Mir since January 1997 and returned to Earth aboard Atlantis. Foale remained behind with Tsibliyev and Lazutkin, beginning a mission that would place him at the center of one of the most serious emergencies in the history of human spaceflight.

Mike Foale and the Progress collision

Only weeks after STS-84 departed, the uncrewed Progress M-34 cargo spacecraft collided with Mir’s Spektr module during a docking test on June 25, 1997.

The impact punctured the module, caused the station to lose pressure and damaged electrical power connections. Foale, Tsibliyev and Lazutkin worked rapidly to isolate Spektr by sealing its hatch and disconnecting cables that passed through the doorway.

Foale played an important role in assessing the station’s motion after the collision and helping the crew regain control of the damaged complex. Mir survived, and the crew remained aboard—making Foale’s residency one of the most dramatic long-duration missions of the Shuttle–Mir era.

Exact docking and undocking postmarks

The two onboard cancellations give the cover exceptional documentary value:

• May 17, 1997: Atlantis docked with Mir, the hatches were opened and Foale exchanged places with Linenger
• May 22, 1997: Atlantis undocked, carrying Linenger home while Foale remained aboard Mir

The Shuttle and station remained connected for almost five days. During that period, the crews transferred approximately 249 separate items, including scientific equipment, experiment samples, station hardware, logistical supplies and water.

An important Shuttle–Mir artifact

This cover represents far more than a routine Shuttle docking. It documents the moment when one American long-duration resident returned home and another began an expedition that would test both Mir and its crew under extraordinary circumstances.

Collector highlights include:

• Flown aboard the Mir space station
• Connected directly with Space Shuttle Atlantis mission STS-84
• Onboard Mir postmark dated May 17, 1997
• Second onboard postmark dated May 22, 1997
• Dates correspond with the docking and undocking of Atlantis
• Hand-signed by the STS-84 astronauts and resident Mir crew
• Includes Mike Foale, delivered to Mir for a long-duration expedition
• Includes outgoing NASA resident Jerry Linenger
• Represents the sixth Shuttle–Mir docking mission
• Directly associated with the crew that later survived the Progress collision
• An important artifact of American, Russian and European cooperation in orbit

A highly desirable piece of flown astrophilately combining precisely dated onboard postal markings, an extensive joint-crew signature group and direct association with Mike Foale’s remarkable Mir expedition.