Oh, excellent' Problems aside, Thomas couldn't wait for his ride home after spending four months aboard Mir. He and his two Russian crewmates were asleep when Discovery blasted off Tuesday evening on a 10-day mission. Mir Thomas is the seventh and final American to live aboard Mir. The linkup is NASA's ninth and last with the aging Russian outpost. After the mission, the space agency will focus its efforts on the international space station.
Construction is set to begin in orbit at the end of the year.
The Russians plan to continue flying aboard Mir through 1999, after which they will let it burn up in the atmosphere and turn their attention to the international venture. Discovery and Mir will be linked for four days, and the astronauts are transporting a few thousand pounds of water, food and other supplies to the Russians. In addition to Thomas, all of NASA's science gear will return aboard Discovery, scheduled to arrive back on Earth on June 12. Correspondent John Holliman and The Associated Press contributed to this report. All Rights Reserved.