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Homeward Bound

There's no place like home--just ask Shannon Lucid! The 53-year-old mother of three has spent six months away from home, orbiting the earth in the Russian space station Mir.

Last week the U.S. shuttle Atlantis docked with Mir to pick up Lucid. If Atlantis lands on schedule this Thursday, Lucid will have spent 188 days in space--a record for an American and for a woman. Lucid's stay on Mir was 48 days longer than planned because of delays caused by mechanical problems on the shuttle and hurricanes. "I think she's had about all the fun that she can stand," said American astronaut Gregory Harbaugh.

Lucid is a biochemist and an expert pilot. But the "right stuff" for extended space travel was her easygoing style. "She's a trouper," says her father, the Rev. J. Oscar Wells.

Lucid had few complaints onboard Mir, though she had to make do with sponge baths and conversation in Russian with two Mir astronauts. "I guess the only thing that would be nice is to have a few more M&M's," she said in April. A few months later, she admitted she missed the "feeling of the wind and the sun." Weekly video conferences and daily E-mail to and from her family helped her battle homesickness.

Lucid's research experiments kept her busy. Half her lab work involved tests that measure the effect of weightlessness on lungs, bones, muscles and thinking. Now scientists on earth are eager to examine Lucid. Doctors will be investigating how much bone and muscle tissue she lost during six months of zero gravity.

In addition to carrying fresh supplies (including chocolates) to Mir, Atlantis brought Lucid's replacement: U.S. astronaut John Blaha, 54. Lucid's advice to him: "Patience is something you need to think about."

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