on the Space Shuttle. In preparation for the mission, Collins flew over 500 approaches and landings in the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA), a NASA training vehicle that duplicated the orbiter's approach profile and handling qualities. The crew paid a visit to Russia and visited Star City and aircraft and spacecraft museums in the Moscow area, and sat in the cockpit of the Buran spacecraft, the Russian equivalent of the Space Shuttle. On Collins' invitation, seven of the surviving members of the Mercury 13 attended the launch on 3 February 1995. A series of thruster burns brought Discovery into line with Mir. The mission plan called for an approach to no less than of Mir, followed by a flyaround. This was delayed by problems with three of the orbiter's 44 Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters, which sprang leaks. Some thrusters could be shut off, but one thruster, R1U, was required for rendezvous, and could not. Eventually all its contents leaked into space and it was safe to approach Mir. As well as rendezvousing with Mir, Discovery carried the Spacehab module and the SPARTAN-204 astronomy satellite. Collins had never experienced airsickness, but felt nauseous. This was remedied by a Phenergan shot, but she only ate Chex on the first three days, taking dinner for the first time on the fourth. Her responsibilities included running the Fluids Generic Bioprocessing Apparatus-1 (FGBA-1), a Coca-Cola dispensing machine. Astronauts rated control samples before and after flight. Discovery landed back at KSC on 11 February 1995, after 8 days, 6 hours and 28 minutes in flight. Soon after returning from space, Collins became pregnant. Her first child, Bridget, was born nine months later. STS-84 In August 1995, Collins was assigned to her second mission, STS-84. This mission would dock with Mir, leave astronaut Michael Foale behind for a four-month stay, and return with astronaut Jerry Linenger at the conclusion of his stay on Mir. Foale had been with Collins on the STS-63 mission. This time the cosmonaut on the mission would be Yelena Kondakova, who had spent 169 days on Mir between October 1994 to March 1995 as part of the Mir EO-17 mission. Collins had glimpsed her during the STS-63 mission. The mission commander, Charles Precourt, spoke Russian fluently. The crew also included a French ESA astronaut, Jean-François Clervoy. The STS-84 mission used the , which had a reputation as the least troublesome orbiter, and for