The shuttle Atlantis slipped from the orbital clutches of Russia's Mir space station on Saturday, slowly circling the outpost twice before speeding away to end three days of docked operations. It was the second time this year the former Cold War rivals have linked their spacecraft as part of their preparations to lead Europe, Japan and Canada in the assembly of a new international space station.
Construction is scheduled to begin in two years.
Atlantis left behind a van-size module carried aloft in its cargo bay and plugged into the Russian station as they linked earlier this week. It will serve as a permanent shuttle port for future NASA astronauts traveling to and from Mir. That's what it's all about - one step at a time toward the station. The uncoupling occurred as the two spacecraft sailed 248 miles above Eastern Europe. Heavy springs in the airtight docking mechanisms nudged the shuttle gently away from the larger station in response to remote commands from the Atlantis crew.