Mir space station. View of the Russian space station Mir ('peace') in orbit over the Earth. Mir was launched in February 1986. The space station originally consisted of a core module and docking facilities. Subsequent launches have added a variety of science modules, increasing the space station's mass from its original 21 tonnes to over 100 tonnes. This photograph was taken from Space Shuttle Endeavour which docked with Mir during Mission STS-89, which took place between 22 and 31 January 1998. During the mission, Endeavour took guest astronaut David A. Wolf from Mir, leaving Andrew S. W. Thomas on board. The shuttle docked via the special module at lower centre (orange).