Wednesday, Sept. 18, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
Atlantis was to dock tonight with the orbiting outpost, where Lucid has lived for a record six months.
"We're sure anxious to see Shannon looking out the window in Mir," crew member Tom Akers told NBC late Tuesday night.
For his part, astronaut John Blaha said he was looking forward to replacing Lucid.
"I think she's ready to leave," Blaha said as Atlantis circled Earth at 17,500 mph. "I'm ready to get there and get on to working with the Russians."
Blaha and his Atlantis crewmates are bringing fresh garlic, onions, cucumbers and oranges to Valery Korzun and Alexander Kaleri, the two cosmonauts aboard Mir.
For reasons that aren't entirely clear, space travelers often complain that food tastes bland in weightlessness.
During her record-breaking stay on Mir, Lucid has asked for potato chips, m&ms and other junk food. Korzun and Kaleri -- in orbit just a month -- already crave zesty food.
"When we're up here, we like things just a little bit spicier and tangier than we do down on Earth," Akers said.
Meanwhile, commander William Readdy said he was ready for the docking, scheduled for around 11:15 p.m. EDT.
"We're in good shape here for performing the rendezvous and getting John up and getting Shannon back," Readdy said.
He said the mysterious failure of one of three hydraulic power units minutes after liftoff Monday would have no effect on the linkup. The hydraulic units are used during landing.
NASA considered shortening the 10-day shuttle mission because of the problem, but decided Tuesday to complete the flight as planned. Mission operations director Lee Briscoe said the two other units are in pristine condition.
Lucid, 53, has set a U.S. space endurance record and a world record for a woman. If the shuttle comes back Sept. 26 as scheduled, she will have spent 188 days aloft, 48 more than planned.
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