Shannon Lucid Sets Record on Mir and Earns Space Medal of Honor

Shannon Lucid, one of NASA’s first six female astronauts, spent six months on the Russian space station Mir, collaborating with two cosmonauts on microgravity research such as wheat growth in the Svet greenhouse. She concluded the mission by flying back to Earth aboard space shuttle Atlantis on Sept. 26, 1996, achieving a 188-day flight that set new records for an American and for a woman in space. The experience provided valuable insights for NASA’s preparation for long-duration stays on the International Space Station.

In December 1996, President Bill Clinton awarded her the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the tenth overall and first awarded to a woman. Lucid continued her NASA career as a Mission Control CAPCOM and later as the agency’s Chief Scientist, retiring in 2012 after more than three decades of service.