Another Mir rotation flight departed Earth for space at 4:54 a.m. on September 16, 1996. This time, Shannon Lucid was brought back to Earth while John Blaha replaced her aboard the Rusian space station. Atlantis' crew was headed by Bill Readdy, who was joined by pilot Terry Wilcutt and mission specialists Tom Akers, Blaha, Jay Apt and Carl Walz.