Shuttle Gets Repairs Before Mir Mission

Crews at Kennedy Space Center finished attaching a new fuel tank and two new booster rockets to the space shuttle Atlantis, scheduled to give American astronaut Shannon Lucid a ride home from the Russian space station Mir. The big external tank replaces one that was slightly damaged last week when it was bumped by a work platform. The newly assembled Atlantis is to be taken back to the launch pad next Tuesday, and launch is scheduled for Sept. 12. The mission will feature the fourth shuttle docking with Mir. The shuttle is to drop off astronaut John Blaha and pick up Lucid, who has been on Mir since March.