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The fourth NASA astronaut to reside on the Russian Space Station Mir was Jerry Linenger.
Linenger, a medical doctor, spent 132 days in orbit, setting an endurance record for the longest flight by an American man. Linenger's stay on Mir was an eventful one - he and his crewmates endured the worst on-orbit fire in the history of spaceflight and avoided a collision with a resupply ship during a manual docking test. They also contended with the failures of vital equipment, including an oxygen generator, a carbon dioxide removal system, and the station's electrical system.
During his flight, Linenger became the first American to perform a spacewalk wearing the Orlan-M Russian spacesuit. Additionally, he and his crewmates performed a flyaround of the station in a Soyuz spacecraft.
Linenger began his journey to Mir on January 12, 1997, when he and the crew of STS-81 launched into space aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis. He returned to Earth on Atlantis, as part of STS-84, which landed on May 24, 1997.
Linenger became an astronaut in 1993. He received a Bachelor of Science in bioscience from the United States Naval Academy, a Doctorate in Medicine from Wayne State University, a Master of Science in systems management from the University of Southern California, a Master of Public Health in health policy from the University of North Carolina, and a Doctor of Philosophy in epidemiology from the University of North Carolina.
For more information on Linenger's stay on Mir, select Shuttle Flights & Mir Increments, Linenger Increment.
Related
Links:
NASA
Biography: Jerry Linenger
Jerry Linenger Video (13
sec.) MPEG (935K) (No Audio)
U.S. Mir Residents | Astronauts | Cosmonauts | Teams | Oral Histories | Shuttle-Mir Stories
Curator:
Kim Dismukes
Responsible NASA Official: John Ira Petty