Shuttle Turns Earthward After Mir Goodbyes

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — With cries of “See you, guys!” the Atlantis astronauts hugged the three men on the Russian space station Mir goodbye, then sealed the hatches and flew away Sunday.

Shuttle Atlantis undocked slowly and gently from Mir after five days of joined flight as the two spacecraft soared more than 240 miles above Russia.

In a farewell ceremony earlier in the day, NASA’s returning John Blaha and his replacement on Mir, Jerry Linenger, shook hands and embraced. The five other Americans and two Russians also exchanged fond farewells.

“Until we meet again on the ground and in orbit,” shuttle commander Michael Baker said in Russian.

Linenger almost got stuck without a cassette player, which he likes to use during his treadmill runs. He couldn’t find it on Mir and, minutes before the hatches were closed, shuttle astronaut Marsha Ivins got approval from Mission Control to lend him hers.

“I’ll see you all in the summer,” said Linenger, a 42-year-old doctor who will spend 4 1/2 months conducting station experiments.

Almost more than anything, Blaha was looking forward to a Mexican meal prepared by his mother, who planned to come from San Antonio for her son’s landing.

The 54-year-old former combat and test pilot was the third American to live on Mir, arriving at the orbiting outpost in September.

Blaha may get an extra day in space. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is considering keeping Atlantis up an additional day, until Thursday, to give the crew more time to test a treadmill designed to curtail vibrations.