1.   Although American astronauts have rarely spent longer than two weeks in close quarters, they have described grating social friction upon returning from Mir.

2.   American astronaut Mike Foale will be stationed in the Soyuz escape capsule in case a quick getaway is necessary.

3.   American astronauts later beat the Soviets in a dramatic race to the moon.

4.   American astronaut Norman Thagard hurtled toward a Thursday rendezvous with the Russian space station after a flawless, on-time blast-off.

5.   American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts warmly greeted one another aboard the Mir space station after a U.S. shuttle crew docked Thursday for a ninth and final time.

6.   American astronauts generally conduct spacewalks within the open bay of the Space Shuttle.

7.   American astronauts have likened life in Mir to a camping trip in a dirty, old car.

8.   An American astronaut, Dr. Norman Thagard, is to fly into orbit atop a Russian rocket and work for three months in a Russian space station.

9.   American astronaut Jim Voss teamed with Russian cosmonaut Yuri Usachev on Friday for the first spacewalk conducted by tenants of the international space station.

10.   An American astronaut is about to attempt the first spacewalk.