Editing Shuttle–Mir program (section)

{{Short description|1993–1998 collaborative Russia–US space program}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Shuttle–''Mir'' program}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2014}}
{{Infobox space program
| name            = Shuttle–Mir program
| native_name_a   = Программа «Мир» — «Шаттл»
| image           = [[File:Shuttle-Mir Patch.svg|frameless|upright]]
| alt             = An illustration showing a space shuttle docked to a space station above a stylized version of the Earth. The Sun is rising over the Earth, and the image is surrounded by ribbon in red, white and blue. The words NASA, Shuttle, РКА and МИР are written around the image.
| country         = {{ubl|{{flag|Russia}}|{{flag|United States}}}}
| organization    = {{hlist|[[Russian Space Agency|PKA]]|[[NASA]]}}
| purpose         = 
| status          = Completed
| cost            = 
| firstflight     = February 3, 1994 ([[STS-60]])
| lastflight      = June 2, 1998 ([[STS-91]])
| launchsite      = {{hlist|[[Kennedy Space Center]]|[[Baikonur Cosmodrome|Baikonur]]}}
| crewvehicle     = {{hlist|[[Space Shuttle]]|''[[Mir]]''|[[Soyuz (spacecraft)|Soyuz]]}}
}}
{{United States space program sidebar}}
{{Soviet space program sidebar}}
The '''Shuttle–''Mir'' program''' ({{langx|ru|Программа «Мир»–«Шаттл»}}){{Efn|Like the earlier Apollo–Soyuz program, the Russian language version presents its vehicle name first, so the literal translation is ‘program “Mir”–“Shuttle”’}} was a collaborative space program between Russia and the United States that involved American [[Space Shuttle]]s visiting the Russian [[space station]] ''[[Mir]]'', Russian cosmonauts flying on the Shuttle, and an American astronaut flying aboard a [[Soyuz (spacecraft)|Soyuz spacecraft]] to allow American astronauts to engage in long-duration expeditions aboard ''Mir''.

The project, sometimes called "Phase One", was intended to allow the United States to learn from Russian experience with long-duration spaceflight and to foster a spirit of cooperation between the two nations and their [[List of space agencies|space agencies]], the [[NASA|National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] (NASA) and the [[Russian Space Agency]] (PKA). The project helped to prepare the way for further cooperative space ventures; specifically, "Phase Two" of the joint project, the construction of the [[International Space Station]] (ISS). The program was announced in 1993, the first mission started in 1994 and the project continued until its scheduled completion in 1998. Eleven Space Shuttle missions, a joint Soyuz flight and almost 1,000 cumulative days in space for American astronauts occurred over the course of seven long-duration expeditions. In addition to Space Shuttle launches to ''Mir'' the United States also fully funded and equipped with scientific equipment the [[Spektr]] module (launched in 1995) and the [[Priroda]] module (launched in 1996), making them de facto U.S. modules during the duration of the Shuttle-''Mir'' program.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20011116160227/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/history/shuttle-mir/history/h-b-lessons.htm NASA.gov] . Retrieved 27 November 2020</ref>

During the four-year program, many firsts in [[spaceflight]] were achieved by the two nations, including the first American astronaut to launch aboard a Soyuz spacecraft, the largest [[spacecraft]] ever to have been assembled at that time in history, and the first American [[spacewalk]] using a Russian [[Orlan space suits|Orlan spacesuit]].

The program was marred by various concerns, notably the safety of ''Mir'' following a fire, a Russian spacecraft colliding with Spektr rendering it uninhabitable, financial issues with the cash-strapped Russian space program and worries from astronauts about the attitudes of the program administrators. Nevertheless, a large amount of science, expertise in space station construction and knowledge in working in a cooperative space venture was gained from the combined operations, allowing the construction of the ISS to proceed much more smoothly than would have otherwise been the case.