astronauts hail flawless linkup in space - laser distance and angle measurer

By WARREN E. LEARYNOV.
1995 this is a digital version of an article from The Times Print Archive, before it starts online in 1996.
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Astronauts on the giant spacecraft formed by connecting the Atlanta space shuttle and the Mir space station began transporting supplies between ships today as they have settled down to prepare for the three-day visit.
Five astronauts on the Atlanta and three astronauts on the Mir started their mission shortly after the shuttle was connected to the space station 248 miles from Earth earlier today. The near-
Perfect docking, 1:27M.
Eastern time is three seconds later than the original time.
Two and a half hours later, the crew opened two 100-
Greetings to each other.
They trained together for a month and got to know each other before performing the task. Col. Kenneth D.
The space shuttle commander Marine Corps's Cameron shook hands with Russian commander Mir Commander Yuri jizzko and presented a traditional Russian gift for three peaches
A box of colored carnations and a box of chocolate.
The other shuttle crew then boarded the Mir in a hug and greeting.
The Atlanta crew, four Americans and a Canadian, assisted the Mir crew, two Russians, a German, to plant flags in their home country and take photos
The advertising staff started working ahead of time and started moving the needed and needed supplies from the shuttle to the Mir, which surprised ground controllers.
The Atlanta carried 900 pounds of fresh water to replenish the supply of the Mir and 980 pounds of other goods, including food, clothing and scientific equipment.
The shuttle also brought personal belongings to the Mir crew, including letters from families and fresh fruit, and the Mir crew has been in space since September.
They will also transfer 900 pounds of the medical samples and equipment from Mir to the shuttle.
On Thursday, the crew will hold a formal gift exchange ceremony, including a foldable classical guitar from the shuttle crew to their Mir colleagues.
The two staff members will also share a variety of banquets, with shrimp cocktails, steaks, potatoes, cherry pie and ice cream crammed into the crowded central module of Mir.
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Starting in 1997, the activities, collaborative previews and technologies needed to build the International Space Station are possible, as the Atlanta is now docked at the Mir.
Docking is the second docking between the spacecraft in four months, because Atlanta needs to use the new 15-foot-
Long docking module extended from cargo hold. The Russian-
A module was built to stay on Mir after Atlanta left on Saturday, by allowing a visit to the spacecraft away from the Mir antenna and solar panels, making the future connection between the shuttle and the space station safer.
Docking was particularly embarrassing and dangerous at the final stage, as Colonel Cameron could not see the top of the new docking tunnel as he approached the Mir at less than 1 inch per second.
He has to rely on radar, laser distance meter and TV photos taken from different angles to complete the maneuver. William D.
Reeves, the chief flight director of NASA's Johnson Space Center mission control center, then said that the rendezvous and docking situation could not be better, which is a good sign for future space construction.
"It's perfect in general," said Mr.
"This is a great confidence builder," said Reeves.
"The mission control center in Russia also shared this enthusiasm, officials from places outside Moscow, NASA and the Russian space agency, and American astronauts who will later visit Mir, watched the docking on a large TV monitor.
Wilber trappton, director of NASA's International Space Station program, told United Atlanta: "You guys make the incredible look very, very easy --"
"This is an important step in the construction of the International Space Station, and we are very, very proud of you.
"A version of this article appeared on page B00011 of the national edition of November 16, 1995, with the title: Astronauts perfectly combined in space.