Spectacular view of Atlantis docked to Mir and Earth

NASA. LARGE FORMAT. Super FishEye view of Space Shuttle ATLANTIS. Already docked to the Russian space station Mir, the space shuttle Atlantis is partially visible through a porthole in the Kvant 2 module, against the backdrop of a half-globe depicting the Crimean peninsula. The crew cabin and forward cargo bay of Atlantis are the most visible. Below center, the androgynous peripheral docking system (APDS) and the Kristall module on Mir can be seen. The APDS is connected to a port in a tunnel leading to the Spacelab science module in Atlantis' payload bay. This link enabled the seven crew members of STS-71 to visit Mir and the three crew members of Mir-18, in space since March this year, to access Spacelab. This module was kept busy with testing and data collection for the three Mir-18 crew members, until Atlantis brought them home on July 7, 1995. The Black Sea lies directly beneath Atlantis, with Ukraine's diamond-shaped Crimean peninsula immediately to the right of the cockpit. The broad lower reaches of the Dnieper River can be seen entering the Black Sea on the far right. The coast of Romania and Bulgaria can be seen where the cloud begins, top right. The peninsula of Asia Minor lies to the left of the view, largely beneath the clouds. The cloudless blue mass beyond is the Mediterranean Sea. Further still, at a distance of around 1,300 miles, the northern edge of Africa stretches like a line across the horizon, with its characteristic sandy color. The nose of Atlantis points southwest, towards the Black Sea's only outlet, the Bosphorus. June 29, 1995.
Vintage chromogenic print. Numbering on front. Label on back. 40.6 x 40.6CM with margins.