Shuttle officials said there were no major technical issues facing the Atlantis and its six-member crew.

The fire, experts noted, cut off the six-member crew from one of the two three-seat Soyuz craft needed for a complete emergency evacuation.

A six-member international crew completed a grueling 520-day simulation of a mission to Mars on Friday in Moscow.

With the return to a full six-member crew the station can resume full-time science operations, including medical research, physics experiments and astronomical observations.

The expedition marked the first time a six-member crew inhabited the station.

The group has an annual budget of $1.4 million and a staff of 25, including the boat's six-member crew.

The six-member crew of stewards and flight attendants were the first to get off.

The six-member crew of the shuttle will be the last from the United States to dock at Mir.

The Atlantis's mission, which will last about 11 days, will be an exhausting one for its six-member crew.

None of the six-member crew was hurt.